Megalovis

Megalovis is an extinct genus of bovid that lived in Eurasia during the Plio-Pleistocene.^[2]

Megalovis Temporal range: Late Pliocene - Lower Pleistocene 3–1 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Endocranial fossil of Megalovis latifrons
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Caprinae
Tribe:	Ovibovini
Genus:	†Megalovis Schaub, 1923[1]
Type species
†Megalovis latifrons Schaub, 1923
Species
M. balcanicus M. guangxiensis M. latifrons M. piveteaui? M. wimani?

Taxonomy

Megalovis is typically considered a member of the subtribe Ovibovina of the Caprini tribe within the Antilopinae subfamily, which includes the living musk-ox. However, certain cranial characteristics like the teeth and horns are more similar to goats in the subtribe Caprina.^[2] Three to five species are recognized including M. latifrons, the (type species) from Central and Southern Europe, the recently discovered M. balcanicus from the Balkans and M. guangxiensis from China.^[3][4] Megalovis survived until the end of Villafranchian, approximately 1 million years ago.^[5]

Description

Megalovis was a large animal, resembling a musk-ox in general morphology and weighing around half a ton.

However, its skull and horns more resembled that of a typical goat or sheep. It horns were short, with a circular section at the base. The horns curved upwards and slightly back. Its dentition was hypsodont, indicating it was a grazer.^[6]