Procervulus
| Procervulus Temporal range: Miocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull, Museum Mensch und Natur, München | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | †Procervulinae |
| Genus: | †Procervulus |
Procervulus is an extinct genus of deer found in Neogene deposits in Europe.[1] It possessed horns that were not shed.[2]
Palaeobiology
[edit]Life history
[edit]Osteohistological analysis of Procervulus praelucidus long bones suggests that the species grew more slowly than modern deer, and comparisons between it and other extinct and extant cervids suggest that its inferred growth rate was the slowest growth rate in the cervid family.[3] Enamel histology shows Procervulus cf. dichotomus from els Casots exhibited a fast daily secretion rate (DSR) of its tooth enamel, indicative of a fast growth rate and life history.[4] The same method reveals Procervulus ginsburgi had a rapid DSR and enamel extension rate (EER) as well as a short crown formation time (CFT), each of these variables suggesting a fast lif history for this species. This is in contrast to P. praelucidus, whose life history was significantly slower.[5]
Antler of Procervulus aurelianensis
Procervulus dichotomus Left Hemi-Mandible MHNT
_Procervulus_dichotomus_-_H%C3%A9mimandibule_gauche.jpg)
References
[edit]- ↑ Pilgrim, G. E. (1941). "X.—The relationship of certain variant fossil types of "horn" to those of the living Pecora". Journal of Natural History. Series 11. 7 (38): 172–184. doi:10.1080/00222934108527149.
- ↑ Ginsburg, L. (1988). "La faune des mammifères des sables Miocènes du synclinal d'Esvres (Val de Loire)" [The mammalian fauna of the Miocene sands of the syncline Esvres (Loire Valley)]. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences. II (in French): 319–22.
- ↑ Kolb, Christian; Scheyer, Torsten M; Lister, Adrian M.; Azorit, Concepcion; de Vos, John; Schlingemann, Margaretha A. J.; Rössner, Gertrud E; Monaghan, Nigel T.; Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R. (14 February 2015). "Growth in fossil and extant deer and implications for body size and life history evolution". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1). doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0295-3. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4332446. PMID 25887855. Retrieved 18 September 2026 – via Springer Nature Link.
- ↑ Cuccu, Andrea; Azanza, Beatriz; Casanovas-Vilar, Isaac; Nacarino-Meneses, Carmen; Alba, David M.; DeMiguel, Daniel (27 February 2026). "Paleohistology and life history of Procervulus and Eotragus (Ruminantia, Artiodactyla) from the Middle Miocene site of els Casots (NE Iberian Peninsula)". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 33 (1). doi:10.1007/s10914-025-09799-8. ISSN 1064-7554. Retrieved 24 September 2026 – via Springer Nature Link.
- ↑ Cuccu, Andrea; Calderón, Teresa; Azanza, Beatriz; DeMiguel, Daniel (23 January 2025). "First insights into the life history of the Early Miocene deer Procervulus ginsburgi from Spain". Journal of Anatomy. 247 (3–4): 842–855. doi:10.1111/joa.14220. ISSN 0021-8782. PMC 12397087. PMID 39854115. Retrieved 14 May 2026 – via Wiley Online Library.
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