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WillemSvdMerwe — Myotragus balearicus

#balearic #goat #islands #mallorca #menorca #sheep #caprinae #myotragus #balearicus
Published: 2021-10-12 19:01:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 12827; Favourites: 160; Downloads: 15
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Description Myotragus was a genus of goats (members of the Caprinae) that lived on the Balearic Islands, Mallorca and Menorca.  They reached the islands at a time when the Mediterranean basin had dried up; when the ocean refilled it, they were stranded and started evolving new features.  They were strange in many ways.  Quite small, they were still the largest land animals of the islands in their day.  They had short limbs and likely couldn't run or jump much.  They had forward-facing eyes, unlike pretty much all other members of the bovidae family.  Their senses in general weren't very keen, perhaps to spare some energy by reducing mental capacity!  They also had a reptile-like metabolism, depositing their bones in layers as they grew, and probably losing or gaining heat depending on the environment.  They probably took long to mature.  They went extinct when humans colonized the islands about three thousand years ago.
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Comments: 12

Nortstar [2022-01-12 18:23:40 +0000 UTC]

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Neranella [2021-10-13 09:09:23 +0000 UTC]

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WillemSvdMerwe In reply to Neranella [2021-10-14 19:38:54 +0000 UTC]

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MoonyMina [2021-10-13 06:33:13 +0000 UTC]

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WillemSvdMerwe In reply to MoonyMina [2021-10-14 19:39:07 +0000 UTC]

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Inmyarmsinmyarms [2021-10-12 22:00:36 +0000 UTC]

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bhut [2021-10-12 20:08:44 +0000 UTC]

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WillemSvdMerwe In reply to bhut [2021-10-14 19:39:19 +0000 UTC]

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dlambeaut [2021-10-12 19:28:42 +0000 UTC]

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WillemSvdMerwe In reply to dlambeaut [2021-10-14 19:39:29 +0000 UTC]

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Nuclearzeon2 [2021-10-12 19:28:42 +0000 UTC]

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WillemSvdMerwe In reply to Nuclearzeon2 [2021-10-14 19:42:17 +0000 UTC]

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