| Taurotragus arkelli Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Genus: | Taurotragus |
| Species: | †T. arkelli |
| Binomial name | |
| †Taurotragus arkelli Leakey, 1965 | |
Taurotragus arkelli is an extinct species of eland from Eastern Africa that lived during the Pleistocene. T. arkelli was roughly 5.5 m (18 ft) long and 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) tall, making it larger than the extant Giant eland.
Description
Taurotragus arkelli was first described L.S.B. Leakey in 1965 from the Olduvai Gorge (Bed IV) in Tanzania. The material assigned to the species consists of a cranium and horn cores.
T. arkelli is regarded as the ancestor of the modern common eland. In comparison to modern eland, T. arkelli shows what are considered primitive characteristics for the genus, such as a longer braincase and horn cores slightly more upright.
References
- Leakey, L.S.B. (1965). Olduvai Gorge: Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 052105527X.
- Furstenburg, Deon (2016). Eland (Tragelaphus oryx). Briza Publications. pp. 173–179.
- Bubenik, Anthony B. (2012). Horns, Pronghorns, and Antlers: Evolution, Morphology, Physiology, and Social Significance. Springer New York. p. 210. ISBN 9781461389668.