Antifer

Antifer is an extinct genus of large herbivorous deer of the family Cervidae, endemic to South America during the Pleistocene, living from 2.6 Ma-13,000 years ago and existing for approximately 2.589 million years .[1] Cervids first entered the formerly isolated continent of South America during the Pliocene as part of the Great American Biotic Interchange.

Antifer
Temporal range: Early-Late Pleistocene (Uquian-Lujanian)
~2.588–0.012 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Capreolinae
Tribe: Rangiferini
Genus: †Antifer
Ameghino 1889
Species
  • A. crassus Rusconi 1954
  • A. niemeyeri

It would have been preyed upon by the dire wolf, the fox-like Theriodictis, saber-toothed cats, short-faced bears and various other predators, including humans.

Taxonomy

Antifer was named by Ameghino (1889) based on Captain Antifer in a Jules Verne novel describing his voyage of discovery in the southern hemisphere. It was assigned to Cervidae by Carroll (1988).[2]

Fossil distribution

The fossil remains are confined to southern Brazil, the Sopas Formation of Uruguay, central Chile, and Argentina.[1] It is known mostly from large, non-palmated shed antlers.

References
  1. Antifer at Fossilworks.org
  2. R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Company
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