Antifer
| Antifer | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Capreolinae |
| Tribe: | Rangiferini |
| Genus: | †Antifer Ameghino 1889 |
| Species | |
| |
Antifer is an extinct genus of large herbivorous deer belonging to the tribe Odocoileini native to South America during the Pleistocene, becoming extinct around 12,000 years ago. It was one of the largest South American deer genera, with an estimated body mass of up to 200 kilograms (440 lb), comparable to red deer, considerably exceeding the marsh deer, the largest living South American deer species in size. The genus has large antlers that could reach length of over 60 centimetres (24 in).[1]
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]Antifer was named by Ameghino (1889) based on Captain Antifer in a Jules Verne novel describing his voyage of discovery in the Southern Hemisphere. It was assigned to Cervidae by Carroll (1988).[2]
Fossil distribution
[edit | edit source]The fossil remains are confined to southern Brazil, the Sopas Formation of Uruguay, central Chile and Argentina.[3] It is known mostly from large, non-palmated shed antlers.
References
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- ^ R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Company
- ^ Antifer at Fossilworks.org
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- Capreolinae
- Prehistoric deer
- Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera
- Pliocene Artiodactyla
- Pleistocene Artiodactyla
- Piacenzian first appearances
- Pleistocene genus extinctions
- Pleistocene mammals of South America
- Lujanian
- Ensenadan
- Uquian
- Sopas Formation
- Pleistocene Argentina
- Fossils of Argentina
- Pleistocene Brazil
- Fossils of Brazil
- Pleistocene Chile
- Fossils of Chile
- Pleistocene Uruguay
- Fossils of Uruguay
- Fossil taxa described in 1889
- Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino