Morenelaphus fossil map
Where fossils of Morenelaphus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 2.58 million years ago to the present (Gelasian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Quaternary |
| Family | Cervidae |
| Named by | Carette 1922 |
| Fossil records | 58 occurrences at 25 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay |
| Rock formations | txn:42652, Touro Passo, Nuapua, Sopas, Lujan, Salto Ander Egg |
About Morenelaphus
Morenelaphus is an extinct genus of capreoline deer that lived in South America during the Pleistocene epoch (Ensenadan-Lujanian faunal stages), ranging from the Pampas to southern Bolivia and Northeast Brazil. The genus contains two named species, Morenelaphus brachyceros and Morenelaphus lujanensis. It was a large deer, with some specimens estimated to exceed 200 kilograms in body mass. The antlers were over 70 cm in length, and are superficially similar those of deer belonging to the subfamily Cervinae, like red deer. Fossils of the genus have been recovered from the Agua Blanca, FortĂn Tres Pozos and Luján Formations of Argentina, the Ă‘uapua Formation of Bolivia, Santa VitĂłria do Palmar in southern Brazil, Paraguay and the Sopas Formation of Uruguay.
The earliest possible fossil record of Morenelaphus is known from the Miramar Formation, dated to the Ensenadan faunal stage (corresponding to Early-Middle Pleistocene). Dental microwear analysis suggests Morenelaphus had a mixed-feeder diet, including grass and perhaps with the occasional ingestion of gritstone. It went extinct during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, around 12,000 years ago, possibly as a result of climate change and nutritional stress.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Morenelaphus (revision 1374520397), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q3862930.
