| Synthetoceras Temporal range: Late Miocene | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Synthetoceras tricornatus | |
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| A skull of Synthetoceras tricornatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | †Protoceratidae |
| Genus: | †Synthetoceras Stirton, 1932 |
| Species: | †S. tricornatus |
| Type species | |
| †Synthetoceras tricornatus Stirton, 1932 | |
Synthetoceras is a large, extinct protoceratid endemic to North America from the Miocene epoch, 13.6—5.33 Ma, existing for approximately 8.27 million years.
Taxonomy[]
Synthetoceras was named by Stirton (1932). It is the type genus of Synthetoceratinae, Synthetoceratini. It was assigned to Protoceratidae by Stirton (1932), Thurmond and Jones (1981) and Carroll (1988); to Synthetoceratinae by Hulbert and Whitmore (2006); and to Synthetoceratini by Webb (1981), Prothero (1998), Webb et al. (2003) and Prothero and Ludtke (2007).
Morphology[]
With a length of 2 m (6 ft 8 in), Synthetoceras was the largest member of its family. It was also the last, and had what is considered to be the protoceratids' strangest set of horns. The two horns above its eyes looked fairly normal and similar to those of many modern horned mammals, but on its snout it had a bizarre, long horn with a forked tip that gave it a Y shape. Only males had this strange horn, and they probably used it in territorial fights.
Body mass[]
Three fossil specimens of Synthetoceras were measured by M. Mendoza, C. M. Janis, and P. Palmqvist for body mass. The specimens were determined to weigh:
- Specimen 1: 332.4 kg (730 lbs)
- Specimen 2: 228.3 kg (500 lbs)
In the Media[]
- Synthetoceras appears as a limited edition Glacier Park animal in Jurassic Park Builder.
- On October 26, 2017, Synthetoceras was added as a super rare Cenozoic snow creature in Jurassic World: The Game.
Gallery[]
Synthetoceras/Gallery