Temporal range: Miocene to Pliocene, 11.608–2.588 Ma[1]
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Samotherium skull
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Family:
Giraffidae
Genus:
†Samotherium Forsyth Major, 1888
Species
S. africanum Churcher, 1970
S. boissieri Forsyth-Major, 1889 (type)
S. major Bohlin, 1926
S. neumayri Rodler and Weithofer, 1890
S. sinense Bohlin, 1926
Samotherium ("beast of Samos") is an extinct genus of Giraffidae from the Miocene and Pliocene of Eurasia and Africa.[1]Samotherium had two ossicones on its head, and long legs. The ossicones usually pointed upward, and were curved backwards, with males having larger, more curved ossicones, though in the Chinese species, S. sinense, the straight ossicones point laterally, not upwards. The genus is closely related to Shansitherium. Fossil evidence suggests that Samotherium had a rounded muzzle, which would suggest a grazing lifestyle and a habitat composed of grassland. One common predator of this animal was the Amphimachairodus.[2]
Biologist Richard Ellis has proposed that the skull of Samotherium is portrayed on an ancient Greek vase as a monster that Heracles is fighting.[3] However, other authors have argued that it is more likely to be the skull of a monitor lizard instead.[4]
^ abCite error: The named reference fossilworks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Walker, Cyril; Ward, David (2002). Fossils (2nd American ed.). Dorling Kindersley. p. 280. ISBN 0-7894-8984-8.
^Ellis, Richard (2004). No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. New York: Harper Perennial. pp. 6. ISBN 0-06-055804-0.
^Monge-Nájera, Julián (2020-01-31). "Evaluation of the hypothesis of the Monster of Troy vase as the earliest artistic record of a vertebrate fossil". Uniciencia. 34 (1): 147–151. doi:10.15359/ru.34-1.9. ISSN 2215-3470.
Samotherium ("beast of Samos") is an extinct genus of Giraffidae from the Miocene and Pliocene of Eurasia and Africa. Samotherium had two ossicones on...
Canthumeryx, Giraffokeryx, Palaeotragus, and Samotherium. According to palaeontologist and author Kathleen Hunt, Samotherium split into Okapia (18 million years...
epoch of Shanxi Province, China. They are closely related to the genus Samotherium. The genus consists of the following species: Shansitherium fuguensis...
Sivatherium and Bramatherium. Giraffids like Palaeotragus, Shansitherium and Samotherium appeared 14 mya and lived throughout Africa and Eurasia. These animals...
P. sp. Houshan locality, Guanghe County Upper part An ancient bovid Samotherium S. boissieri Houshan locality, Guanghe County Middle part A cranium skull...
depictions of the Monster of Troy may have been influenced by fossils of Samotherium, an extinct species of giraffe whose fossils are common in the Mediterranean...
mythological Greek hero Heracles, somewhat resembles the skull of the giraffid Samotherium. Witton considered that because the painting has significant differences...
Fossils of more than 60 species were found, including Chilotherium, Samotherium, Machairodus, and Lagomeryx. It was discovered in 1928 by palaeontologist...
Genus Amotherium Amotherium africanum (Miocene) Genus Samotherium (Miocene–Pliocene) Samotherium boissieri (Pliocene) Genus Sivatherium Sivatherium giganteum...
Palaeotragus P. decepiens An early giraffid P. microdon An early giraffid Samotherium S. decipiens An early giraffid Tetralophodon T. exoletus A ten-foot tall...
Postcranial remains and first almost complete skulls of members of the genus Samotherium are described from the Middle Maragheh sequence (northwest Iran) by Parizad...
tafeli is published by Hou et al. (2019), who compare this taxon with Samotherium boissieri. Description of an almost complete skull and a second partial...
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