Osbornoceros
Encyclopedia
Osbornoceros is a prehistoric antilocaprid genus
belonging to the family
Antilocapridae, all of whose species are extinct except for the pronghorn
. Osbornoceros osborni is the only known species
of the Osbornoceros genus. Osbornoceros lived during the Late Miocene
around 7-6 million years ago in what is currently North America
. It is well represented in fossil
discoveries, with nearly a dozen specimens having been found to date. All come from the Chamita Formation in a quarry near Lyden, New Mexico
, the site of numerous other finds such as that of Chamitataxus
, a prehistoric badger
who lived at the same time. The holotype
specimen of Osbornoceros was discovered in 1937 and many more were found nearby during further expeditions.
Osbornoceros was strikingly similar to today's pronghorn; it was lightly built and had a series of small horn
s that protruded from its skull
. It was, like its relatives, a quadruped
herbivore
and grazed on the grassy plains of its time. It is not known if Osbornoceros had any predators and much is still unknown about its paleobiology, but it is assumed that it was similar to the present day pronghorn and its extinct relatives. Osbornoceros was covered in a short fur and was most likely a good runner.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
belonging to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Antilocapridae, all of whose species are extinct except for the pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
. Osbornoceros osborni is the only known species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the Osbornoceros genus. Osbornoceros lived during the Late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
around 7-6 million years ago in what is currently North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is well represented in fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
discoveries, with nearly a dozen specimens having been found to date. All come from the Chamita Formation in a quarry near Lyden, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, the site of numerous other finds such as that of Chamitataxus
Chamitataxus
Chamitataxus is a prehistoric badger genus. Chamitataxus avitus is the only known species of the genus. Chamitataxus lived during the Late Miocene, around 6 million years ago in what is now North America. Out of the three taxidiine badgers to have existed on the continent, Chamitataxus is the most...
, a prehistoric badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
who lived at the same time. The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
specimen of Osbornoceros was discovered in 1937 and many more were found nearby during further expeditions.
Osbornoceros was strikingly similar to today's pronghorn; it was lightly built and had a series of small horn
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
s that protruded from its skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
. It was, like its relatives, a quadruped
Quadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
and grazed on the grassy plains of its time. It is not known if Osbornoceros had any predators and much is still unknown about its paleobiology, but it is assumed that it was similar to the present day pronghorn and its extinct relatives. Osbornoceros was covered in a short fur and was most likely a good runner.