Euprox Explained

Euprox is an extinct genus of deer that lived in Eurasia during the Miocene.

Taxonomy

The type species Euprox furcatus was originally under the genus Prox, but that name was already taken. Depéret assigned it to the related genus Dicrocerus in 1887, before it was assigned to its current placement in 1928.[1] Euprox dicranocerus and Euprox minimus were transferred to the genus soon after; they were originally described as Cervus dicranocerus and Dicracerus minimus, respectively.[2]

Description

Euprox was some of the earliest types of deer known to have true antlers.[3] It would have resembled a muntjac in size and appearance, standing at up to 1m (03feet) in height.

The antlers of Euprox were short, with two small prongs projecting from the main branch. Euprox is notable for being the earliest deer to possess the presence of a real burr, which are indicative of the border between permanent and deciduous segments of deer antlers.[4] It possessed brachyodont teeth and likely fed on leaves. The environment that Euprox inhabited would have been warm and humid, with many tropical forests.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Głazek . J. . Miocene vertebrate faunas from Przeworno (Lower Silesia) and their geological setting . Acta Geologica Polonica . 1971 . 21 . 3 .
  2. Hou . S. . A new species of Euprox (Cervidae, Artiodactyla) from the upper Miocene of the Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China, with interpretation of its paleoenvironment . Zootaxa . 2014 . 3911 . 1 . 43–62 . 10.11646/zootaxa.3911.1.2 . 25661595 .
  3. Dong . W. . Liu . J. . Pan . Y. . A new Euprox from the Late Miocene of Yuanmou, Yunnan Province, China, with interpretation of its paleoenvironment . Chinese Science Bulletin . 2003 . 48 . 5 . 485–491 . 10.1007/BF03183257. 2003ChSBu..48..485D . 140586480 .
  4. Book: Agustí . Jordi . Antón . Mauricio . Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids: 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe . 2002 . Columbia University Press . 9780231116411 . 141.
  5. Web site: New cervid species found in middle miocene of Nei Mongol, China . Phys.org . Institute of Vertebrae Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.