Xenokeryx amidalae

Xenokeryx (†Xenokeryx (Sánchez et al, 2015))

 

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: †Palaeomerycidae

Dimensions: length - 1,9 m, height - 130 сm, weight -  100 - 250 kg

Time period: the Miocene of Europe ( 15,4 million years ago )

Typical representative: Xenokeryx amidalae

 

 

Xenokeryx 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 Padmé 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.