Ramoceros is an extinct genus of the artiodactyl family Antilocapridae endemic to Middle Miocene (Clarendonian) North America.Blount, Kitty and Crowley, Maggie. Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life, p. 271 (Penguin, 2008).
Taxonomy Ramoceros is one of several genera that originated from the subfamily Merycodontinae, of which the pronghorn is the only surviving remnant.Heffelfinger, Jim. Deer of the Southwest: A Complete Guide to the Natural History, Biology, and Management of Southwestern Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer, p. 26 (Texas A&M University Press, 2006). In fact, pronghorn is the only surviving remnant of the entire family Antilocapridae.Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
Merriamoceros was originally placed in Ramoceros (as Ramoceros coronatus).
Description
Ramoceros was a prehistoric relative of modern pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), which is a species of artiodactyl mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. The modern pronghorn weighs about , whereas the smaller Ramoceros generally weighed .Kues, Barry. The Paleontology of New Mexico, p. 364 (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).
The horns of Ramoceros are notable in that one horn, either the left or right, is always about three to four times larger than the other.
Paleobiology The long forked horns of Ramoceros may have been used by rival males in competition. Like other antilocaprids, Ramoceros regrew their horns every year, forming new horns growing on bony centers.
Bibliography Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton The Evolution of Artiodactyls by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss
References