Rusingoryx

Rusingoryx is a genus of extinct alcelaphine bovid artiodactyl closely related to the wildebeest. It contains only one species, R. atopocranion, that lived on the plains of Kenya during the Pleistocene.^[1] It was originally named as a species of Megalotragus.

Rusingoryx Temporal range: 0.075–0.050 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Early Pleistocene – Late Pleistocene
Rusingoryx drinking
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Alcelaphinae
Genus:	†Rusingoryx Pickford & Thomas, 1984
Species:	†R. atopocranion
Binomial name
†Rusingoryx atopocranion Pickford & Thomas, 1984
Synonyms
Megalotragus atopocranion Gentry, 2010 (Pickford & Thomas, 1984)

Rusingoryx is known for its strange pointed nose with a large nasal dome. This structure represents an instance of convergent evolution with the crests of hadrosaurid dinosaurs, which were used for display and vocalization.^[1][2][3] Studies have shown that the Rusingoryx is a specialized grazing animal, with a preference for arid grasslands.^[4][2] Rusingoryx was migratory.^[5]

The first specimens, which were poorly preserved, were described in 1983, having been taken from a site called Bovid Hill on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria.^[3][6] Butchered bones found in 2011 with stone tools suggested that they had been killed by humans.^[4][2] In 2016, remains of an additional 26 better preserved individuals were discovered.