Capromeryx minor
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Capromeryx minor |
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Extinct (fossil)
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Capromeryx minor |
Capromeryx minor is a very small, extinct species of pronghorn antelope discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits of California and elsewhere. It stood about 60 centimetres tall at the shoulders and weighed about 10 kilograms (22 lb). It is unclear whether females had horns as well as males. Each horn consists of a pair of short, straight points that sprouts from a single base on either side of the head, with the points diverging at about a 45-degree angle. A number of different species have been described which are likely all the same: Capromeryx furcifer, Capromeryx mexicana and Capromeryx minimus . Its fossils have also been found at least as far east at as the Texas coast, as well as in Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, Baja California, and near Mexico City. Specimens of this species (and its synonyms) date to the Late Irvingtonian and Rancholabrean periods.