''Haploidoceros'' is an extinct genus 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 ...

that lived in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

during the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

. It contains a single species, ''Haploidoceros mediterraneus''. Fossils have been found mainly in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, as well as the

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

Taxonomy

''Haploidoceros'' was described in 2008. Its remains were originally assigned to the genus ''Euctenoceros'' (now usually synonymous with ''

Eucladoceros ''Eucladoceros'' (Greek for "well-branched antler") or bush-antlered deer is an extinct genus of deer whose fossils have been discovered in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. This genus was formally described by Hugh Falconer in 1868.Fal ...

''), though examination of the cranial proportions and morphology show it is distinct. Based on antler morphology, its closest living relative is the barasingha of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. The genus '' Rucervus'' had a much wider distribution in prehistoric times, extending into Europe.

Description

''Haploidoceros'' was a medium-sized deer weighing around . Its hind limbs were especially well-developed, indicating it was a good jumper who possibly moved in a bounding gait. Its unique antlers were split into two beams adorned with a single tip at the end. The posterior beam was sickle-shaped, while the front beam was comparatively shorter and straighter. It possessed big cheek teeth which is indicative of a grazing diet, yet had pre-maxillary bones which were narrow and sharp suggesting it also browsed.

Paleoecology

''Haploidoceros'' favored temperate climates. It probably lived in forests to semi-open woodland, and based on its morphology it had mixed feeding traits, with clear tendency toward leaf browsing. It lived alongside a variety of other ungulates, such as

equids Equidae (sometimes known as the horse family) is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals, including the extant horses, asses, and zebras, and many other species known only from fossils. All extant species are in the genus '' Equus'', w ...

rhinoceroses A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') ( or ) is an extinct cattle species, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocen ...

and the

straight-tusked elephant The straight-tusked elephant (''Palaeoloxodon antiquus'') is an extinct species of elephant that inhabited Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene (781,000–30,000 years before present). Recovered individuals have reac ...

. Sites containing fossils of ''Haploidoceros mediterraneus'' are notable in their absence of fallow deer remains, despite the species being common in other nearby sites in the time period. It is believed that the niches of these deer were too similar for both to occupy the same area. Both species avoided competition by choosing different habitats; ''Haploidoceros'' favoring woodland and the fallow deer staying in more open areas.

Extinction

The oldest ''Haploidoceros'' remains are from the Middle Pleistocene, dated to approximately 440-390 ka. The youngest remains are dated to 90 ka. Given its dependency on temperate climate, ''Haploidoceros'' probably went extinct during the Last Glacial Period, when temperatures significantly cooled and its favored habitats shrunk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21086992 Cervinae Prehistoric deer Pleistocene even-toed ungulates Prehistoric mammals of Europe Pleistocene mammals of Europe Pleistocene extinctions Prehistoric monotypic mammal genera