''Bretzia pseudalces'', is an extinct species of

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

from the extinct genus ''

Bretzia ''Bretzia'' is an extinct genus of deer that was endemic to North America. Two species have been described. Taxonomy and evolution The genus ''Bretzia'' was named in 1974 by paleontologist Eric Paul Gustafson and his colleague Willis Fry. It wa ...

''. Endemic to North America, with fossils found in the

Ringold Formation The Ringold Formation is a geologic formation in Eastern Washington, United States. The formation consists of sediment laid down by the Columbia River following the flood basalt eruptions of the Columbia River Basalt Group, and reaches up to thi ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

Taxonomy and evolution

The genus ''

'' was named in 1974 by paleontologist Eric Paul Gustafson and his colleague Willis Fry. It was named after geologist J. Harlan Bretz. ''Bretzia pseudalces'' is notable for being one of the first deer to live in North America, and one of the earliest ancestors to all New World Deer. Fossils of sister species ''

Bretzia nebrascensis ''Bretzia nebrascensis'' was an extinct species of deer that lived in North America (Nebraska, South Dakota) during the Pleistocene and Early Holocene, as recently as 10,000 BP. The antlers of ''B. nebrascensis'' were noticeably different from t ...

'' has been found in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

and

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

Description

''Bretzia pseudalces'' is known from fossils of its jaws, teeth, leg bones, vertebrae, and antlers, and overall had approximately the same body size as a modern

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

. However, it is easily distinguished by its dramatic

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...

s, which form a large palmate structure from a single anterior tine and posterior beam, superficially resembling a modern

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

antlers.

Paleoecology

''Bretzia pseudalces'' fossils are found with ''

Teleoceras ''Teleoceras'' (Greek: "perfect" (teleos), "horn" (keratos)) is an extinct genus of grazing rhinoceros. It lived in North America during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs during the Hemingfordian to the end of Hemphillian from around 17.5 to 4.9 mi ...

'', ''

Platygonus ''Platygonus'' ("flat head" in reference to the straight shape of the forehead) is an extinct genus of herbivorous peccaries of the family Tayassuidae, endemic to North and South America from the Miocene through Pleistocene epochs (10.3 million ...

'' and ''

Megatylopus ''Megatylopus'' (also known as the North American camel) is an extinct genus of large camel, endemic to North America from the Late Miocene to the Pliocene, existing for approximately . Fossil distribution ranged from North Carolina to Californi ...

'', indicating they lived in the same space. The environment would have been mild and temperate, but seasonal, allowing for water levels to rise and fall. The majority of ''B. pseudalces'' fossils recovered from White Bluffs in the Ringold formation were degraded to various degrees, and bones of fish and small rodents were most commonly found with them, indicating that they were buried in silt and mud from

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

areas, including marshes or

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. In South Texas, oxbows left by the Rio Grande are called '' resacas''. In Australia, oxbow lakes are call ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q104854930 Capreolinae Prehistoric deer Ringold Formation Miocene Fauna Mammals described in 1974 Fossil taxa described in 1974