Species †R. atopocranion Order Even-toed ungulate | Subfamily Alcelaphinae Phylum Chordata | |
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Genus †RusingoryxPickford & Thomas, 1984 Similar Megalotragus, Even‑toed ungulate, Lambeosaurinae, Alcelaphinae, Damalops | ||
Rusingoryx is a genus of extinct alcelaphine bovid artiodactyl closely related to the wildebeest. It contains one species, R. atopocranion, that lived on the plains of Kenya during the Pleistocene.
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.
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. Butchered bones found in 2011 with stone tools suggested that they had been killed by humans. In 2016, remains of an additional 26 better preserved individuals were discovered.
