''Capra dalii'' is a fossil
species of
goat discovered in
Georgia in 2006. It is named for the
Georgian goddess Dali
Dali or Dalí may refer to:
Chinese history
* Kingdom of Dali (937–1253 AD), centered in modern Yunnan
* Kingdom of Nanzhao or Dali, Kingdom of Dali's predecessor state
* Dali, Emperor Daizong of Tang's third and last regnal period (766–779)
...
, who was considered the guardian of hoofed animals such as ibexes and goats. Fragments of ''C. dalii'' fossils were first located at the
Dmanisi archaeological site, and are believed to be related to the
west Caucasian tur, ''Capra caucasica''. The species is believed to have existed during the
Early Pleistocene
The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, being the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently estimated to span the time ...
, around 1.76 million years ago, making it the oldest known example of the ''Capra'' genus.
Based on the fossil fragments found, ''C. dalii'' is believed to have been a large ''Capra'' species, with horns that curved outward. Its teeth are similar to those of ''
Hemitragus orientalis
''Hemitragus'' is a genus of bovids that currently contains a single living species, the Himalayan tahr. Two extinct species are also known from the Pleistocene.
The Arabian tahr and Nilgiri tahr
The Nilgiri tahr (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'') ...
'', another fossil species.
Some of the ''C. dalii'' fossil fragments are held in the National History collection at the
Dmanisi Museum-Reserve
Dmanisi ( ka, დმანისი, tr, , az, Başkeçid) is a town and archaeological site in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia approximately 93 km southwest of the nation’s capital Tbilisi in the river valley of Mashavera. The hominin ...
, part of the
Georgian National Museum.
References
Bibliography
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q21351423
dalii
Mammals described in 2006
Pleistocene mammals of Europe
Prehistoric even-toed ungulate genera
Prehistoric caprids