| Moschidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skeleton ofMicromeryx, a typical moschid from theMiocene epoch | |
 | |
| Moschus moschiferus, the extantSiberian musk deer | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Pecora |
| Superfamily: | Bovoidea |
| Family: | Moschidae J. E. Gray, 1821 |
| Type genus | |
| Moschus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Genera | |
Seetext | |
Moschidae is afamily ofpecoraneven-toed ungulates, containing themusk deer (Moschus) and its extinct relatives. They are characterized by long "saber teeth" instead of horns, antlers orossicones, modest size (Moschus only reaches 37 lb (17 kg); othertaxa were even smaller) and a lack of facial glands.[1] While various Oligocene and Miocene pecorans were previously assigned to this family, recent studies find that most should be assigned to their own clades, although further research would need to confirm these traits. As a result,Micromeryx,Hispanomeryx, andMoschus are the only undisputed moschid members, making them known from at least 18 Ma.[2][3] The group was abundant acrossEurasia andNorth America during theMiocene, but afterwards declined to only the extant genusMoschus by the earlyPleistocene.
Until the early 21st century, it was believed that the musk deer (family Moschidae) were an adjacent,sister-group to the "true deer" of the familyCervidae (caribou,moose,elk, and roughly 40–50 other species); however, a 2003phylogenetic study by Alexandre Hassanin (of theNational Museum of Natural History, France) and co., based onmitochondrial andnuclear analyses, revealed that Moschidae andBovidae (antelope,cattle,goats,sheep), together, form a sister-clade to Cervidae. According to the study, the Cervidaediverged from the Bovidae-Moschidae clade roughly 27–28 million years ago.[4] The followingcladogram is based on this 2003 study:[4]
After Prothero (2007)[5]
FamilyMoschidae
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