top of page
Bovidae
Antelope, bovines & relatives
3
Number of resurrected species:
Family
Order
Class
Bovidae
Artiodactyla
Mammalia
Description
The Bovidae family consists of many still extant species, like antelope, bison and cattle. Bovids are herbivorous and both graze and browse for vegetation in a large variety of habitats, like savannas, tundra and deserts. Many species live in small groups or massive herds to keep each other safe from predators.
Distribution & Fossil evidence
The earliest bovids diverged from the Cervidae (deer) and Giraffidae (giraffes) families during the Oligocene and Miocene in Africa and Eurasia. During the late Miocene, they spread to Eastern Asia and finally crossed the Bering land bridge to North America during the Pleistocene.
Species
The Bovidae family is a very large family with many extant and extinct species. They show a great variation in size and their horns evolved in many different shapes.
Included genera
Bison, Pheraios
bottom of page