Euprox

Euprox; Temporal range: Mid - Late Miocene
	Fossil of Euprox sp..
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Cervidae
Genus:	†Euprox; Stehlin, 1928
Type species
	†Euprox furcatus; Hensel, 1859 (As Prox furcatus)
Species[1]
	E. altus Wang & Zhang, 2011; E. dicranocerus Kaup, 1839; E. furcatus; E. grandis Hou, 2015; E. margaritae Vislobokova, 1983; E. minimus Toula, 1884; E. robustus Dong, Liu & Pan, 2003;
Synonyms
	Prox

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.[2] Euprox dicranocerus and Euprox minimus were transferred to the genus soon after; they were originally described as Cervus dicranocerus and Dicracerus minimus, respectively.[3]

Description

Euprox was some of the earliest types of deer known to have true antlers.[4] It would have resembled a muntjac in size and appearance, standing at up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in height.

Antler of Euprox furcatus

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.[5] It possessed brachyodont teeth and likely fed on leaves.[4] The environment that Euprox inhabited would have been warm and humid, with many tropical forests.[4][6]

References

"Euprox". Biolib.
Głazek, J. (1971). "Miocene vertebrate faunas from Przeworno (Lower Silesia) and their geological setting". Acta Geologica Polonica. 21 (3).
Hou, S. (2014). "A new species of Euprox (Cervidae, Artiodactyla) from the upper Miocene of the Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China, with interpretation of its paleoenvironment". Zootaxa. 3911 (1): 43–62. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3911.1.2. PMID 25661595.
Dong, W.; Liu, J.; Pan, Y. (2003). "A new Euprox from the Late Miocene of Yuanmou, Yunnan Province, China, with interpretation of its paleoenvironment" (PDF). Chinese Science Bulletin. 48 (5): 485–491. Bibcode:2003ChSBu..48..485D. doi:10.1007/BF03183257. S2CID 140586480.
Agustí, Jordi; Antón, Mauricio (2002). Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids: 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe. Columbia University Press. p. 141. ISBN 9780231116411.
"New cervid species found in middle miocene of Nei Mongol, China". Phys.org. Institute of Vertebrae Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.

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[1] "Euprox". Biolib.

[2] Głazek, J. (1971). "Miocene vertebrate faunas from Przeworno (Lower Silesia) and their geological setting". Acta Geologica Polonica. 21 (3).

[3] Hou, S. (2014). "A new species of Euprox (Cervidae, Artiodactyla) from the upper Miocene of the Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China, with interpretation of its paleoenvironment". Zootaxa. 3911 (1): 43–62. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3911.1.2. PMID 25661595.

[Dong-4] Dong, W.; Liu, J.; Pan, Y. (2003). "A new Euprox from the Late Miocene of Yuanmou, Yunnan Province, China, with interpretation of its paleoenvironment" (PDF). Chinese Science Bulletin. 48 (5): 485–491. Bibcode:2003ChSBu..48..485D. doi:10.1007/BF03183257. S2CID 140586480.

[5] Agustí, Jordi; Antón, Mauricio (2002). Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids: 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe. Columbia University Press. p. 141. ISBN 9780231116411.

[6] "New cervid species found in middle miocene of Nei Mongol, China". Phys.org. Institute of Vertebrae Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.