Dorcatherium

Dorcatherium is an extinct genus of small tragulid ruminants known from Miocene and Pliocene fossils in Africa and Eurasia. Its species document early members of the mouse-deer lineage.

Tragulidae: Tragulidae is a family of small, primitive ruminants that includes living mouse-deer and extinct relatives. Dorcatherium is classified within this family, whose members retain several ancestral anatomical traits.
Dorcatherium naui: Dorcatherium naui is a fossil species of tragulid known from Miocene deposits in Europe. It is one of the best-known species used to recognize the genus in European fossil sites.
Ruminant dentition: Ruminant dentition is the characteristic arrangement and structure of teeth used to process plant food in ruminants. Tooth shape and wear are central evidence for identifying fossil Dorcatherium remains.
Miocene: The Miocene is a geological epoch lasting from about 23 to 5.3 million years ago. Much of the known Dorcatherium fossil record comes from Miocene deposits.
Dorcabune: Dorcabune is an extinct genus of tragulid ruminants known from Neogene fossils in Asia. Its Asian record offers a close family-level comparison with Dorcatherium.
Ruminantia: Ruminantia is the mammal clade whose members digest plant material through microbial fermentation, typically involving regurgitation and rechewing. Dorcatherium belongs to this broader group of cud-chewing mammals.
Dorcatherium vindobonense: Dorcatherium vindobonense is an extinct species of Dorcatherium described from European fossil material. Its fossils add a distinct species to the genus's European record.
Cranial anatomy: Cranial anatomy is the structure and form of the bones and features of the skull. Skull features help distinguish tragulid fossils and compare Dorcatherium with related genera.
Pliocene: The Pliocene is a geological epoch lasting from about 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago. Pliocene fossils extend the genus's record beyond its Miocene occurrences.
Hyemoschus: Hyemoschus is a living genus of African water chevrotains in the family Tragulidae. Its survival in Africa lets researchers compare a living tragulid with the extinct genus.

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ChevrotainRelated: Fossils of this relative show that tragulids once occupied a broader range of habitats and regions.