Oct. 7 () –
Scientists have revealed keys about the evolution of ruminants thanks to new fossils of ‘Amphimoschus’, a mysterious ruminant that lived in Europe during the Miocene, between 17.5 and 13.8 million years ago. Specifically, they have reconstructed the anatomy and kinship relationships of the ‘Amphimoschus‘ and provided information on the appearance of the cranial appendages of ruminants.
In the research, which has been published in the ‘Journal of Systematic Palaeontology’, The Institut CatalĂ de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) and the Universities of Alcalá (UAH) and Zaragoza (UNIZAR) have participated. It used fossils from the French sites of Artenay, Aerotrain and Thenay, loaned to researchers by the Museum Nationale d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris (France).
The remains analyzed have allowed the scientific team to know for the first time in 150 years the postcranial skeleton of this animal described in 1873 of which only cranial and dental fossil remains were found. As CSIC has pointed out, the results suggest that this ruminant without cranial appendages occupied a basal evolutionary position within the cervoid group, that is, the ruminants most closely related to modern deer. So, This research challenges previously well-accepted hypotheses that associated ‘Amphimoschus’ with other lineages within ruminants..
Furthermore, as explained by the organism, the anatomy of the legs of this ruminant suggests that it could have lived in swampy or semi-aquatic environments because They resemble those of some current species, such as the African sitatunga antelopes, adapted to this type of habitats.. Like these antelopes, ‘Amphimoschus’ had stylized legs with elongated hooves and very long fingers that opened at an angle, which allowed it to move without problem on the very soft and plastic substrates characteristic of swampy environments.
At the same time, the research has also allowed us to estimate the body size of Amphimoschus, which would have weighed between 36 and 47 kilossomewhat larger than a current roe deer, which places it among the medium-sized ruminants of its time. As the CSIC has explained, this work is one more step in understanding the evolution of cranial appendages in ruminants,”one of the most complex and hot topics in mammalian paleobiology.
Finally, CSIC has highlighted that the projects PID2020-116220GB-I00 and PID2020-117289GB-I00, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN) and the State Research Agency (AEI), were key to carrying out this research. . In addition, the Generalitat of Catalonia, through the CERCA program, and the Government of Aragon, through the Paleoenvironmental Extinction and Reconstruction research group, also contributed to the development of the study.
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