Harman Patil (Editor)

Gazella psolea

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Family
  
Bovidae

Genus
  
Gazella

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Even-toed ungulate

Class
  
Mammalia

Subfamily
  
Antilopinae

Scientific name
  
Gazella psolea

Rank
  
Species

Subgenus
  
Deprezia Geraads & Amani, 1998

Similar
  
Gazelle, Even‑toed ungulate, Damalops, Saudi gazelle, Mongalla gazelle

Gazella psolea is an unusual prehistoric species of gazelle that lived in Africa and Arabia; it is only known from fossils. It makes up the subgenus Deprezia due to its unique skull morphology: it had a long premolar row, and its nasal area is peculiar, with short nasal bones and a very large nasal opening. It therefore seems to have been able to breathe cold and dry air (a similar adaptation as found in the saiga), but why this feature evolved is still rather mysterious. Perhaps it made seasonal migrations to the High Atlas mountains, where such an adaptation would have been useful.

The species lived during the Late Pliocene (some 2.5 mya); its remains have been found at Ahl al Oughlam near Casablanca, Morocco.

References

Gazella psolea Wikipedia