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''Merycodus'' is an extinct
''Merycodus'' had relatively short horn shafts with tines of nearly equal size that were about as long as the shaft. Species traditionally included in ''Meryceros'' had horns that were generally larger and more laterally compressed.
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of the artiodactyl
Artiodactyls are placental mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla ( , ). Typically, they are ungulates which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes (the third and fourth, often in the form of a hoof). The other t ...
family Antilocapridae
The Antilocapridae are a family of ruminant artiodactyls endemic to North America. Their closest extant relatives are the giraffids. Only one species, the pronghorn (''Antilocapra americana''), is living today; all other members of the family ...
. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Santa Fe Group of New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
.
Taxonomy
''Merycodus'' has had a confusing taxonomic history. The closely related ''Meryceros'' and ''Submeryceros'' are generally regarded as synonymous with ''Merycodus''. One described species known as ''Merycodus grandis'' has now been reclassified as a species of '' Prosynthetoceras''. Another former species, ''M. furcatus'' is now placed in '' Cosoryx''.Description
''Merycodus'' had relatively short horn shafts with tines of nearly equal size that were about as long as the shaft. Species traditionally included in ''Meryceros'' had horns that were generally larger and more laterally compressed.
References