Palaeomerycidae

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | 639 words | Copyright

Palaeomerycidae (infra-order Pecora, superfamily Cervoidea) A family of pecorans that appear to be ancestral to the deer and giraffes, and of which the musk-deer (Moschus) may be a surviving representative. The limbs and teeth resembled those of later groups. Most forms lacked horns, and some had enlarged upper canines which formed tusks. Where horns existed they appear not to have been shed and probably they were covered with skin, as in modern giraffes or in the short pedicel at the base of deer antlers. The family had a wide Holarctic distribution during the late Oligocene and Miocene, and some genera survived into the Pliocene.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Palaeomerycidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Palaeomerycidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Palaeomerycidae.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Palaeomerycidae." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Palaeomerycidae.html

Learn more about citation styles