''Croizetoceros'' is an extinct genus of

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

which lived throughout much of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, first appearing during the last stages of the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

and living until the Early

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

Taxonomy

The type species, ''Croizetoceros ramosus'' was originally classified as ''Cervus ramosus'', but was found distinct enough to be placed into its own genus. Many subspecies of ''C. ramosus'' have been identified throughout

, and another species, ''C. proramosus'', has also been described in 1996.

Description

''Croizetoceros'' was a mid-sized species, similar in size to the living

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

. It stood a little over tall and weighed around . ''Croizetoceros'' was one of the first modern-looking deer. It had complex antlers, with four or even five short branches. They were long and lyre-shaped, with the tines branching off tangentially from the central branch. ''Croizetoceros'' was probably a browser. Its teeth were characterized by a high degree of wear, indicating that it fed on abrasive plants.

References

Cervines Prehistoric deer Miocene Artiodactyla Pliocene Artiodactyla Pleistocene Artiodactyla Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera Miocene mammals of Europe Pliocene mammals of Europe Pleistocene mammals of Europe {{eventoedungulate-stub