| Honanotherium Temporal range: Late Miocene |
|
|---|---|
| skull | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Giraffidae |
| Subfamily: | Giraffinae |
| Genus: | Honanotherium |
| Species: | H. schlosseri |
| Binomial name | |
| Honanotherium schlosseri (Bohlin, 1927) |
|
Honanotherium schlosseri was a giraffid ancestral to the modern giraffe (genus Giraffa) from the late Miocene of Hunan Province, China. It would have resembled a modern giraffe, but, somewhat shorter.
The first part of the generic name, honano refers to the Hunan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: Húnán) province of China, where the first specimens were recovered. the second part, therium, comes from the Greek, θηρίον which means "beast." The species name, "schlosseri," honors M. Schlosser, a German paleontologist who specialized in prehistoric giraffes.