Named By: | Israel M. Sanchez, Juan L. Cantalapiedra, Maria Rios, Victoria Quiralte & Jorge Morales in 2015 |
Time Period: | 15 Ma Miocene |
Location: | Spain |
Size: | Unavailable |
Diet: | Herbivore |
Fossil(s): | Partial skull remains |
Classification: | | Chordata | Mammalia | Artiodactyla | Ruminantia | Palaeomerycidae | |
Xenokeryx ("strange horn" in Greek) is an extinct genus of ruminant known from the Miocene of Europe. The type species, Xenokeryx amidalae, was recovered from central Spain and bears a unique T-shaped protrusion from the top of the head. The specific epithet amidalae is in reference to the character Padme Amidala from the Star Wars films "due to the striking resemblance that the occipital appendage of Xenokeryx bears to one of the hairstyles that the aforementioned character shows in The Phantom Menace feature film."