''Sivatherium'' ("Shiva's beast", from
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
and ''therium'', Latinized form of Ancient Greek θηρίον -'' thēríon'') is an extinct genus of
giraffids that ranged throughout
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
to the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. The species ''Sivatherium giganteum'' is, by weight, one of the largest giraffid known, and also one of the largest
ruminant
Ruminants (suborder Ruminantia) are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The ...
s of all time.
''Sivatherium'' originated during the Late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
(around 7 million years ago) in Africa and survived through to the late Early Pleistocene (
Calabrian) ''S. giganteum'' remains have been recovered from the
Himalayan foothills, dating around 1 million years ago. Suggestions have been made that ''S. maurusium'' may have gone extinct as recently as 8,000 years ago, as depictions that resemble it are known from ancient
rock painting
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...
s in the
Sahara and
Central West India. But these claims are not substantiated by fossil evidence, and the depictions likely represent other animals.
Description
![Sivatherium Warsaw](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Sivatherium_Warsaw.jpg)
''Sivatherium'' resembled the modern
okapi
The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species ...
, but was far larger, and more heavily built, being about tall at the
shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...
, in total height with a weight up to . A newer estimate has come up with an estimated body mass of about
or . This would make ''Sivatherium'' one of the largest known ruminants, rivalling the modern giraffe and the largest bovines. This weight estimate is thought to be an underestimate, as it does not take into account the large horns possessed by males of the species. ''Sivatherium'' had a wide,
antler-like pair of
ossicone
Ossicones are columnar or conical skin-covered bone structures on the heads of giraffes, male okapi, and some of their extinct relatives. Ossicones are distinguished from the superficially similar structures of horns and antlers by their uniqu ...
s on its head, and a second pair of ossicones above its
eyes. Its shoulders were very powerful to support the
neck muscles required to lift the heavy
skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...
. Sivatherium was initially misidentified as an archaic link between modern ruminants and the now obsolete, polyphyletic "pachyderms" (elephants, rhinoceroses, horses and tapirs). The confusion arose in part due to the graviportal (robust) morphology, which was unlike anything else studied at that time.
Diet
A dental wear analysis of ''S. hendeyi'' from the Early Pliocene of South Africa found that the teeth were brachyodont, but had a higher
hypsodonty
Hypsodont is a pattern of dentition with high-crowned teeth and enamel extending past the gum line, providing extra material for wear and tear. Some examples of animals with hypsodont dentition are cows and horses; all animals that feed on gritt ...
than a giraffe, and that it was best classified as a mixed feeder, being able to both graze and browse.
See also
* ''
Hydaspitherium
''Hydaspitherium'' is an extinct genus of giraffid artiodactyls.
Giraffids are represented in the late Miocene of the Siwaliks by large Sivatheriinae such as ''Sivatherium'', ''Bramatherium'', '' Helladotherium'', and ''Hydaspitherium''. ''Hy ...
''
* ''
Bramatherium
''Bramatherium'' (Brahma’s beast) is an extinct genus of giraffids that ranged from India to Turkey in Asia. It is closely related to the larger ''Sivatherium''.
Etymology
The first part of the generic name, Brahma (Sanskrit masculine ', no ...
''
* ''
Vishnutherium''
* ''
Prolibytherium
''Prolibytherium'' is an extinct genus of prolibytheriid artiodactyl ungulate native to Middle Miocene North Africa and Pakistan, from around 16.9 to 15.97 million years ago. Fossils of ''Prolibytherium'' were found in the Marada Formation of ...
''
References
Further reading
*Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R.J.G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): ''The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life''. Simon & Schuster.
*David Norman. (2001): ''The Big Book Of Dinosaurs''. pg. 228, Walcome books.
*''After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past)'' by Donald R. Prothero
*''The Evolution of Artiodactyls'' by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss
*''Vertebrate Palaeontology'' by Michael J. Benton and John Sibbick
*''Evolving Eden: An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large Mammal Fauna'' by Alan Turner and Mauricio Anton
*''Classification of Mammals'' by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell \
*''The Book of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth, Second Edition'' by Stephen Jay Gould
* ''World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia)'' by Dougal Dixon
*''Eyewitness: Prehistoric Life'' by William Lindsay
*''Walker's Mammals of the World (2-Volume Set) (Walker's Mammals of the World)'' by Ronald M. Nowak
*''Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals'' by Donald R. Prothero and Robert M. Schoch
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q899506
Miocene mammals of Africa
Pliocene mammals of Africa
Pleistocene mammals of Africa
Miocene mammals of Asia
Pliocene mammals of Asia
Pleistocene mammals of Asia
Prehistoric giraffes
Pliocene even-toed ungulates
Pleistocene even-toed ungulates
Prehistoric even-toed ungulate genera
Miocene first appearances
Pleistocene extinctions
Fossil taxa described in 1836