Pelorovis (SciiFii)

Pelorovis ("prodigious/monstrous sheep") is a genus of African wild cattle, which first appeared in the Pliocene, 2.5 million years ago,[1] and became extinct at the end of the Late Pleistocene about 12,000 years ago or even during the Holocene, some 4,000 years ago.[2] Recent[when?]detailed anatomical and morphometric studies come to the conclusion that Pelorovis is probably not monophyletic. According to these findings, the early forms of the genus (P. turkanensis and P. oldowayensis) are close relatives, and possibly the first members, of the genus Bos. In contrast, the late Pleistocene form (Pelorovis antiquus) seems to be a close relative of the modern African buffalo (Syncerus caffer).[3]