The interrelationships of higher ruminant families with special emphasis on the members of the cervoidea

We analyze the interrelationships of the higher (Pecoran) ruminants, and suggest possible relationships between these families and the various genera of the polyphyletic assemblage “Gelocidae.” We also review the developmental processes of the cranial appendages of the living homed ruminant families, and conclude that giraffid ossicones, bovid horns, and cervid antlers cannot be considered to […]

The two types of cranial appendages in Giraffa camelopardalis (Mammalia, Artiodactyla)

The current consensus is that only one type of horn, the ossicone, exists in the giraffe and that the central or median horn is both structurally and developmentally similar to the paired parietal horns. We have shown that the paired ossicones are composites of three structures: an innermost large frontoparietal boss base, the ossicone, and […]

K-Casein Gene Phylogeny of Higher Ruminants (Pecora, Artiodactyla)

To asses phylogenetic relationships among the higher ruminants (infraorder Percora, order Artiodactyla), we analyzed K-casein DNA sequences, including 434 nucleotides of the fourth exon. The higher ruminant families Bovidae, Cervidae, Giraffidae, and Antilocapridae each have monophyletic K-casein sequences. Maximum parsimony and distance analyses identify Giraffidae as a sister group to either Cervidae or a Bovidae-Ceridae […]

Siwalik Giraffidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla): A review

The article is based on the published literature regarding the family Giraffidae, particularly about the extinct Siwalik species. The provided information is collected from the previous published articles, aiming to produce the basic information of the Siwalik giraffids. The distribution of the Siwalik giraffid species is also briefly discussed.

Chapter 14: Giraffidae

792 specimens attributed to the Giraffidae were recovered by the Eyasi Plateau Paleontological Expedition (EPPE) from the three Pliocene stratigraphic units at Laetoli, with Giraffa stillei the most common taxon in all three levels. Giraffids are notably well represented in the Upper Laetolil Beds, with further evidence gathered by EPPE for the three previously recognized […]

The phylogeny of Cetartiodactyla: The importance of dense taxon sampling, missing data, and the remarkable promise of cytochrome b to provide reliable species-level phylogenies

We perform Bayesian phylogenetic analyses on cytochrome b sequences from 264 of the 290 extant cetartiodactyl mammals (whales plus even-toed ungulates) and two recently extinct species, the ‘Mouse Goat’ and the ‘Irish Elk’. Previous primary analyses have included only a small portion of the species diversity within Cetartiodactyla, while a complete supertree analysis lacks resolution […]

A complete estimate of the phylogenetic relationships in Ruminantia: a dated species-level supertree of the extant ruminants

This paper presents the first complete estimate of the phylogenetic relationships among all 197 species of extant and recently extinct ruminants combining morphological, ethological and molecular information. The composite tree is derived by applying matrix representation using parsimony analysis to 164 previous partial estimates, and is remarkably well resolved, containing 159 nodes (>80% of the […]

Suidae, Tragulidae, Giraffidae, and Bovidae

The upper Miocene vertebrate locality of Küçükçekmece West, European Turkey, had provided an artiodactyl assemblage that is rich in species but poor in specimens. The present study allows revising previous artiodactyl lists provided for this site, by recognizing Hippopotamodon cf. antiquus, Dorcatherium maliki n. sp., Palaeotragus sp. (large size), Palaeogiraffa pamiri (Ozansoy, 1965), Bohlinia cf. […]