Capra dalii

Not to be confused with Ovis dalli.

Capra dalii
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene 1.76 Ma
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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Tribe: Caprini
Genus: Capra
Species:
†C. dalii
Binomial name
†Capra dalii
Bukhsianidze & Vekua, 2006

Capra dalii is a fossil species of goat discovered in Georgia in 2006.[1] It is named for the Georgian goddess Dali, who was considered the guardian of hoofed animals such as ibexes and goats.[2][3] Fragments of C. dalii fossils were first located at the Dmanisi archaeological site, and are believed to be related to the west Caucasian tur, Capra caucasica.[1] The species is believed to have existed during the Early Pleistocene, around 1.76 million years ago, making it the oldest known example of the Capra genus.[4]

Based on the fossil fragments found, C. dalii is believed to have been a large Capra species, with horns that curved outward. Its teeth are similar to those of Hemitragus orientalis, another fossil species.[5]

Some of the C. dalii fossil fragments are held in the National History collection at the Dmanisi Museum-Reserve, part of the Georgian National Museum.[6]

  1. ^ a b Bukhsianidze & Vekua 2006, p. 159.
  2. ^ Bukhsianidze & Vekua 2006, p. 160.
  3. ^ Charachidzé 1993, p. 18.
  4. ^ Bukhsianidze & Vekua 2006, p. 170.
  5. ^ Van Der Made, Carlos Calero & Mancheño 2008, p. 20.
  6. ^ "Capra dalii". Natural History - Georgian National Museum. Retrieved 2018-11-08.