Honanotherium
Encyclopedia
Honanotherium schlosseri was a giraffid ancestral to the modern giraffe
(genus
Giraffa
) from the late Miocene
of Hunan
Province, China
. It would have resembled a modern giraffe, but, somewhat shorter.
The first part of the generic name, honano refers to the Hunan
province of China
, where the first specimens were recovered. the second part, therium, comes from the Greek
, θηρίον which means "beast." The species
name, "schlosseri," honors M. Schlosser, a German
paleontologist
who specialized in prehistoric giraffes.
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
(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...
Giraffa
Giraffa
Giraffa is a genus of mammals in the Giraffidae family. The genus consists of seven species including the giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, the only extant species.- Species :There are six species in the genus Giraffa....
) from 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...
of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It would have resembled a modern giraffe, but, somewhat shorter.
Etymology
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
province of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where the first specimens were recovered. the second part, therium, comes from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, θηρίον which means "beast." The 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...
name, "schlosseri," honors M. Schlosser, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
paleontologist
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
who specialized in prehistoric giraffes.