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Samotherium sp.
Order Artiodactyla, Family Giraffidae
Miocene (20 million years before present)
Gansu Province, China
Herbivore
This Samotherium sp. is an ancestor of the giraffe. It was found in Shanxi Province of China, where it lived during the Miocene. The neck and limbs of this ancient giraffe were not as long as those of modern giraffes. However, their eyes and the ossicones on their head were shaped like those of a giraffe. They inhabited the vast grasslands of northern China during the Miocene and mostly fed on grasses.
2025/11/27 Updated