Antilocapridae

In most respects, antilocaprids resemble other ruminants. They have a complex, four-chambered stomach for digesting tough plant matter, cloven hooves, and small, forked horns. Their horns resemble those of the bovids, in that they have a true horny sheath, but, uniquely, they are shed outside the breeding season, and subsequently regrown. Their lateral toes are even further diminished than in bovids, with the digits themselves being entirely lost, and only the cannon bones remaining. Antilocaprids have the same dental formula as most other ruminants: . ==Classification==

The antilocaprids are ruminants of the clade Pecora. Other extant pecorans are the families Giraffidae (giraffes), Cervidae (deer), Moschidae (musk deer), and Bovidae (cattle, goats and sheep, wildebeests and allies, and antelopes). The exact interrelationships among the pecorans have been debated, mainly focusing on the placement of Giraffidae, but a large-scale ruminant genome sequencing study in 2019 suggested that Antilocapridae are the sister taxon to Giraffidae, as shown in the cladogram below. Evolution The ancestors of pronghorn diverged from the giraffids in the Early Miocene. Species • Subfamily Antilocaprinae • Tribe Antilocaprini • Genus Antilocapra • Antilocapra americana - pronghorn • A. a. americana - Rocky Mountain pronghorn • A. a. mexicana - Mexican pronghorn • A. a. peninsularis - Baja California pronghorn • A. a. sonoriensis - Sonoran pronghorn • A. a. oregona - Oregon pronghorn • †Antilocapra pacifica • Genus †Texoceros • Texoceros altidens • Texoceros edensis • Texoceros guymonensis • Texoceros minorei • Texoceros texanus • Texoceros vaughani • Tribe †Ilingocerotini • Genus †Ilingoceros • Ilingoceros alexandrae • Ilingoceros schizoceros • Genus †Ottoceros • Ottoceros peacevalleyensis • Genus †Plioceros • Plioceros blicki • Plioceros dehlini • Plioceros floblairi • Genus †Sphenophalos • Merycodus crucensis • Merycodus hookwayi • Merycodus joraki • Merycodus major • Merycodus minimus • Merycodus minor • Merycodus necatus • Merycodus nenzelensis • Merycodus prodromus • Merycodus sabulonis • Merycodus warreni • Genus †Paracosoryx • Paracosoryx alticornis • Paracosoryx burgensis • Paracosoryx dawesensis • Paracosoryx furlongi • Paracosoryx loxoceros • Paracosoryx nevadensis • Paracosoryx wilsoni • Genus †Ramoceros • Ramoceros brevicornis • Ramoceros marthae • Ramoceros merriami • Ramoceros osborni • Ramoceros palmatus • Ramoceros ramosus == References ==