Megalovis Temporal range: Late
Pliocene - Lower
Pleistocene
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Endocranial fossil of Megalovis latifrons | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Bovidae |
Subfamily: | Caprinae |
Tribe: | Ovibovini |
Genus: | †
Megalovis Schaub, 1923 [1] |
Type species | |
†Megalovis latifrons Schaub, 1923
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Species | |
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Megalovis is an extinct genus of bovid that lived in Eurasia during the Plio-Pleistocene. [2]
Megalovis is typically considered a member of the subtribe Ovibovina of the Caprini tribe within the Antilopinae subfamily, which includes the living musk-ox. However, certain cranial characteristics like the teeth and horns are more similar to goats in the subtribe Caprina. [2] Three to five species are recognized including M. latifrons, the ( type species) from Central and Southern Europe, the recently discovered M. balcanicus from the Balkans and M. guangxiensis from China. [3] [4] Megalovis survived until the end of Villafranchian, approximately 1 million years ago. [5]
Megalovis was a large animal, resembling a musk-ox in general morphology and weighing around half a ton.
However, its skull and horns more resembled that of a typical goat or sheep. It horns were short, with a circular section at the base. The horns curved upwards and slightly back. Its dentition was hypsodont, indicating it was a grazer. [6]
Megalovis Temporal range: Late
Pliocene - Lower
Pleistocene
| |
---|---|
| |
Endocranial fossil of Megalovis latifrons | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Bovidae |
Subfamily: | Caprinae |
Tribe: | Ovibovini |
Genus: | †
Megalovis Schaub, 1923 [1] |
Type species | |
†Megalovis latifrons Schaub, 1923
| |
Species | |
|
Megalovis is an extinct genus of bovid that lived in Eurasia during the Plio-Pleistocene. [2]
Megalovis is typically considered a member of the subtribe Ovibovina of the Caprini tribe within the Antilopinae subfamily, which includes the living musk-ox. However, certain cranial characteristics like the teeth and horns are more similar to goats in the subtribe Caprina. [2] Three to five species are recognized including M. latifrons, the ( type species) from Central and Southern Europe, the recently discovered M. balcanicus from the Balkans and M. guangxiensis from China. [3] [4] Megalovis survived until the end of Villafranchian, approximately 1 million years ago. [5]
Megalovis was a large animal, resembling a musk-ox in general morphology and weighing around half a ton.
However, its skull and horns more resembled that of a typical goat or sheep. It horns were short, with a circular section at the base. The horns curved upwards and slightly back. Its dentition was hypsodont, indicating it was a grazer. [6]