Sivatherium ("Shiva's beast", from Shiva and therium, Latinized form of Ancient Greek θηρίον - thēríon) is an extinction genus of Giraffidae that ranged throughout Africa and Eurasia. The species Sivatherium giganteum is, by weight, one of the largest giraffids known, and also one of the largest of all time.
Description
Sivatherium resembled the modern
okapi, but was far larger, and more heavily built, being about tall at the
shoulder, in total height with a weight up to .
[http://www.geocities.ws/rsn_biodata/Data/Sivatherium_giganteum.html (in Portuguese)] A newer estimate has come up with an estimated body mass of about
or .
This would make
Sivatherium one of the largest known ruminants, rivalling the modern giraffe and the largest bovines. This weight estimate is thought to be an underestimate, as it does not take into account the large horns possessed by males of the species.
Sivatherium had a wide,
antler-like pair of
on its head, and a second pair of ossicones above its
. Its shoulders were very powerful to support the
neck required to lift the heavy
skull.
Sivatherium was initially misidentified as an archaic link between modern ruminants and the now obsolete,
polyphyly "
Pachydermata" (elephants, rhinoceroses, horses and tapirs). The confusion arose in part due to its graviportal (robust) morphology, which was unlike anything else studied at that time.
Palaeobiology
Palaeoecology
A dental wear analysis of
S. hendeyi from the Early Pliocene of South Africa found that the teeth were brachyodont, but had a higher
than a giraffe, and that it was best classified as a mixed feeder, being able to both graze and browse.
Analysis of
dental microwear and
mesowear paired with δ
13C and δ
18O measurements of
S. maurusium from Ahl al Oughlam in western Morocco show it predominantly fed on C
3 vegetation.
Palaeopathology
The osteohistology of
S. hendeyi specimens from the
Langebaanweg site in South Africa shows numerous interruptions in growth related to extended, non-cyclical stress events likely related to drought, fire, or flooding that decreased food availability.
Relationship with humans
Remains of
Sivatherium from
Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, dating to around 1.35 million years ago have been found associated with stone tools and bearing cut marks, indicating butchery by
archaic humans, likely
Homo erectus.
Historically, it has been suggested that
Figurine from
Sumer and ancient
in the
Sahara and
Madhya Pradesh represent
Sivatherium.
However, these claims are not substantiated by fossil evidence (which suggest that the genus was extinct long before the emergence of modern humans), and the depictions likely represent other animals.
See also
Further reading
-
Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R.J.G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life. Simon & Schuster.
-
David Norman. (2001): The Big Book Of Dinosaurs. pg. 228, Walcome books.
-
After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past) by Donald R. Prothero
-
The Evolution of Artiodactyls by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss
-
Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton and John Sibbick
-
Evolving Eden: An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large Mammal Fauna by Alan Turner and Mauricio Anton
-
Classification of Mammals by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell \
-
The Book of Life: An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth, Second Edition by Stephen Jay Gould
-
World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia) by Dougal Dixon
-
Eyewitness: Prehistoric Life by William Lindsay
-
Walker's Mammals of the World (2-Volume Set) (Walker's Mammals of the World) by Ronald M. Nowak
-
Horns, Tusks, and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals by Donald R. Prothero and Robert M. Schoch
