Honanotherium is a genus of extinct giraffid from the late Miocene of Henan Province, China, and East Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran.[2][1] It was closely related to Bohlinia and was once thought to be ancestral to the modern giraffe (genus Giraffa). The living animal would have resembled a modern giraffe, but was somewhat shorter, with more massive ossicones.
Honanotherium Temporal range: Late Miocene | |
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Mounted skeleton in Henan Geological Museum | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Giraffidae |
Genus: | †Honanotherium Bohlin, 1927 |
Species | |
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The first part of the generic name, honano refers to the Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: Hénán) province of China, where the first specimens were recovered. The second part, therium, comes from the Greek, θηρίον which means "beast."
Paleobiology
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Honanotherium_schlosseri_02.jpg/220px-Honanotherium_schlosseri_02.jpg)
Like the modern-day giraffe, Honanotherium may have grazed on low-lying trees in the savannah environment, although its shorter neck shows that it probably fed on different plants than the extant giraffe.