Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Giraffoidea Rank Family | Class Mammalia Phylum Chordata Order Even-toed ungulate | |
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Similar Even‑toed ungulate, Prolibytherium, Palaeomerycidae, Giraffoidea, Climacoceras | ||
Climacoceratidae ("ladder horns") is a family of superficially deer-like artiodactyl ungulates which lived in the Miocene era in Africa. They are close to the ancestry of giraffes, with some genera, such as Prolibytherium, originally identified as being giraffes.
The climacoceratids, namely members of what is now the type genus Climacoceras, were originally placed within the family Palaeomerycidae, and then within Giraffidae. In 1978, W. D. Hamilton erected a new family, placing it close to Giraffidae.
They differ from giraffes in that their antler-like ossicones are derived from different bones.
References
Climacoceratidae Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA