Pelorovis (“monstrous sheep”) is an extinct genus of African wild cattle which existed during the Pleistocene epoch. Males weighed 4400lb

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It’s believed pelorovis lived from the pliocene, to the holocene. Roughly 2.5 million to 12,000 years ago. It is an extinct genus of large African bovines (or, wild cattle).

Biology and description
Pelorovis species were notable for their large size and impressive horns. Measuring up to 3 meters (about 10 feet) from tip to tip. They resembled African buffalos, although it was larger and possessed longer, curved horns. It probably weighed about 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb), with the largest males attaining 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb).

Etymology
“Pelorovis” is compounded from the Greek πέλωρος (péloros). Pelor, in the sense of “monstrous” or “huge and terrible”. And, Latin ovis, meaning “sheep”.

There are several recognized species within the Pelorovis genus
Pelorovis antiquus and Pelorovis oldowayensis. These species varied in size and horn shape.

Pelorovis fossils have been found throughout Africa
Indicating they were widespread. From savannas to forested areas. They lived in a variety of environments. Across the continent.

Reasons for their extinction are not fully understood. It may include climate change, habitat alteration, and overhunting by humans.

Pelorovis was a genus of large, prehistoric bovines. Its significant physical and ecological characteristics, played an important role in ecosystems of Africa.

Bibliography: Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; Pérez-Claros, Juan Antonio; Palombo, Maria Rita; Rook, Lorenzo; Palmqvist, Paul (September 2007). “The Olduvai buffalo Pelorovis and the origin of Bos” (http://www.cetnotorolidia.org/opencms_wf/opencms/system/modules/es.jcyl.ita.site.torodelidia/elements/galleries/galeria_downloads/The_origin_of_Bos.pdf) (PDF). Quaternary

Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879). “Ovis” (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=ovis&la=la&can=ovis0&prior=lana&d=Perseus:text:1999.02.0004:text=comm:poem=2&i=1#lexicon). A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press

Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). “πέλωρ-” (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/te xt?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpe%2Flwros). A Greek–English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Research. 68 (2): 220–226. Bibcode:2007QuRes..68..220M (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007QuRes..68..220M). doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2007.06.002 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.yqres.2007.06.002). S2CID 55104027 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:55104027).

Alan Turner & Mauricio Anton: Evolving Eden, An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large-Mammal Fauna. Columbia University Press, New York 2004 ISBN 0-231-11944-5 (pp. 159-167)

Donald R. Prothero (November 15, 2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals (https://books.google.com/books?id=tWiYDwAAQBAJ). Princeton University Press. p. 184. ISBN 9780691156828.

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