Archaeomeryx is an extinct genus of ruminant that lived early in the Eocene.[1][2][3] It is believed to be close to the ancestry of the group Pecora, which includes deer, giraffes, cows and their relatives. Unlike the modern members of this group, it had a set of functioning incisors in the upper jaw.[4] It was small in size, comparable to a modern-day mouse deer.[5] It was also very rabbit-like and had several distinctive characteristics.[6] It lived in present-day China 35 to 40 million years ago.[7]
| Archaeomeryx Temporal range: Early Eocene
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | †Archaeomerycidae |
| Genus: | †Archaeomeryx Matthew & Granger, 1925 |
| Species: | †A. optatus
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| Binomial name | |
| †Archaeomeryx optatus Matthew & Granger, 1925
| |
References
edit- The Beginning of the Age of Mammals by Kenneth Rose
- ^ "Archaeomeryx -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2009-06-28..
- ^ "Nature.com". Archived from the original on 2011-05-25..
- ^ Rose, Kenneth D. (2006-09-26). The Beginning of the Age of Mammals - Google Book Search. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801884726. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22..
- ^ "Toothless cud chewers, To see ourselves as others see us... - USATODAY.com". USA Today. 2006-09-05. Archived from the original on 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2010-04-25..
- ^ "Browse - Encyclopédie Universalis". Archived from the original on 2011-04-29..
- ^ "Title". Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ^ Brenson, Michael (1988-09-02). "New York Times". Retrieved 2008-12-14.
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