Nanotragulus
| Nanotragulus Temporal range: Eocene–Miocene | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | †Hypertragulidae |
| Genus: | †Nanotragulus Lull (1922) |
 | |
| Range of Nanotragulus based on fossil record | |
Nanotragulus is an extinct genus belonging to the family Hypertragulidae, within the order Artiodactyla, endemic to North America, Europe, and Asia during the Eocene through Miocene, living 46.2–13.6 Ma, existing for approximately 32.6 million years.[1]
Nanotragulus was a primitive and ancient ruminant, resembling small deer or musk deer, although more closely related to the modern chevrotain. Its diet is stated to be that of a frugivore.
Taxonomy
Nanotragulus was named by Lull (1922). It was assigned to Cervidae by Cook (1934); and to Hypertragulidae by Lull (1922), Matthew (1926) and Carroll (1988).[2][3][4]
Morphology
Body mass
Four specimens were examined by M. Mendoza, C. M. Janis, and P. Palmqvist for body mass:[5]
- 8.29 kg (18 lb)
- 3.84 kg (8.5 lb)
- 4.70 kg (10 lb)
- 4.54 kg (10 lb)
Fossil distribution
Partial list of fossil sites:
- Kimberly Member, Grant County, Oregon
- North Boulder Valley, Jefferson County, Montana
- Brooksville 2 Site, Hernando County, Florida
References
- ↑ PaleoBiology Database: Nanotragulus, basic info
- ↑ H. J. Cook. 1934. New artiodactyls from the Oligocene and Lower Miocene of Nebraska. American Midland Naturalist 15(2):148–165
- ↑ W. D. Matthew. 1926. On a new primitive deer and two traguloid genera from the Lower Miocene of Nebraska. American Museum Novitates 215:1-8
- ↑ R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York 1-698
- ↑ M. Mendoza, C. M. Janis, and P. Palmqvist. 2006. Estimating the body mass of extinct ungulates: a study on the use of multiple regression. Journal of Zoology 270(1):90-101
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