Rusingoryx
| Rusingoryx Temporal range: Early Pleistocene – Late Pleistocene
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Alcelaphinae |
| Genus: | †Rusingoryx Pickford & Thomas, 1984 |
| Species: | †R. atopocranion
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| Binomial name | |
| †Rusingoryx atopocranion Pickford & Thomas, 1984
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| Synonyms | |
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Rusingoryx is a genus of extinct alcelaphine bovid artiodactyl closely related to the wildebeest. It contains only one species, R. atopocranion, that lived on the plains of Kenya during the Pleistocene.[1] It was originally named as a species of Megalotragus.
Rusingoryx is known for its strange pointed nose with a large nasal dome. This structure represents an instance of convergent evolution with the crests of hadrosaurid dinosaurs, which were used for display and vocalization.[1][2][3] Studies have shown that the Rusingoryx is a specialized grazing animal, with a preference for arid grasslands.[4][2]
The first specimens, which were poorly preserved, were described in 1983, having been taken from a site called Bovid Hill on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria.[3][5] Butchered bones found in 2011 with stone tools suggested that they had been killed by humans.[4][2] In 2016, remains of an additional 26 better preserved individuals were discovered.
References
- ^ a b "Unexpected Convergent Evolution of Nasal Domes between Pleistocene Bovids and Cretaceous Hadrosaur Dinosaurs". Current Biology. 26 (4): 503–508. 2016. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.12.050. PMID 26853365.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ a b c "Revealed: Rusingoryx, an ancient wildebeest cousin with bizarre dinosaur traits". The Guardian. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Pleistocene Mammal Rusingoryx atopocranion Had Dinosaur-Like 'Nose'". sci-news.com. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ^ a b Faith J. Tyler; et al. (2011). "Taxonomic status and paleoecology of Rusingoryx atopocranion (Mammalia, Artiodactyla), an extinct Pleistocene bovid from Rusinga Island, Kenya" (PDF). Quaternary Research. 75 (3): 697–707. doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2010.11.006.
- ^ Gentry A. W. (2010) Bovidae, Cenozoic Mammals of Africa, 747-803
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