Tragulidae (Artiodactyla, Ruminantia) from the Middle Miocene Chinji Formation of Pakistan

Authors: MUHAMMAD AKBAR KHAN, MUHAMMAD AKHTAR

Abstract: The fossil record of the Siwalik tragulids remains poorly documented. The study of the tragulid material from the Chinji Formation allows the identification of 3 species: Dorcatherium minus, Dorcatherium majus and Dorcabune anthracotherioides. The tragulid assemblage is quite rich and Dorcatherium is the predominant taxon in the Chinji Formation of Pakistan. The fossils from the Chinji Formation of the Chakwal district, northern Pakistan, may document the first appearance of the 3 tragulid species in the Lower Siwaliks. The selenodonty and palaeoecology of the Siwalik tragulids are also discussed.

Keywords: Vertebrates, Mammalia, Dorcatherium, Dorcabune, Siwaliks, Miocene

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