Climacoceras
Encyclopedia
Climacoceras was a genus of early Miocene
artiodactyl ungulate
s of Africa
and Europe. The members of Climacoceras were related to giraffe
s, as the genus
was once placed within Giraffidae
. Fossils of the two best known species of Climacoceras, C. africanus and C. gentryi have been both found in Kenya
. The animals measured about 1.5 m in height and had large ossicone
s resembling antlers. C. africanus had ossicones resembling tall thorn-covered plant stems, while the ossicones of C. gentryi resembled thorny crescent
s.
The genus was once placed within Palaeomerycidae
, and then within Giraffidae
, it is now considered a giraffoid and a new family, "Climacoceratidae
," has been erected by Hamilton for this genus.
Other Climacoceratidae include Prolibytherium
from Egypt
and Libya
and Orangemeryx from Namibia and South Africa
.
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...
artiodactyl ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Europe. The members of Climacoceras were related to giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, as the genus
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...
was once placed within Giraffidae
Giraffidae
The giraffids are ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. The biological family Giraffidae, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, contains only two living members, the giraffe and the okapi. Both are confined to sub-saharan Africa: the...
. Fossils of the two best known species of Climacoceras, C. africanus and C. gentryi have been both found in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The animals measured about 1.5 m in height and had large ossicone
Ossicone
Ossicones are horn-like protuberances on the heads of giraffes, male okapis, and their extinct relatives, such as Sivatherium, and the climacoceratids, such as Climacoceras. Only giraffids have true ossicones...
s resembling antlers. C. africanus had ossicones resembling tall thorn-covered plant stems, while the ossicones of C. gentryi resembled thorny crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
s.
The genus was once placed within Palaeomerycidae
Palaeomerycidae
Palaeomerycidae is an extinct family of ruminants , probably ancestral to deer and musk deer...
, and then within Giraffidae
Giraffidae
The giraffids are ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a common ancestor with deer and bovids. The biological family Giraffidae, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, contains only two living members, the giraffe and the okapi. Both are confined to sub-saharan Africa: the...
, it is now considered a giraffoid and a new family, "Climacoceratidae
Climacoceratidae
Climacoceratidae is a family of superficially deer-like artiodactyl ungulates that were restricted to the Miocene of Africa. They are close to the ancestry of giraffes, with some genera, such as Prolibytherium, having originally identified as being giraffes.The climacoceratids, namely, of what is...
," has been erected by Hamilton for this genus.
Other Climacoceratidae include Prolibytherium
Prolibytherium
Prolibytherium is an extinct artiodactyl ungulate native to Early Miocene North Africa.The 1.80 m long creature was related to the modern giraffe and okapi. Unlike these, however, Prolibytherium had a set of large, leaf-shaped ossicones with a width of 35 cm...
from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and Orangemeryx from Namibia and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.