Tragoportax fossil map
Where fossils of Tragoportax have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 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 5 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 | 11.63–2.58 million years ago (Tortonian to Piacenzian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Bovidae |
| Named by | Pilgrim 1937 |
| Fossil records | 100 occurrences at 37 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Greece, Kenya, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Pakistan, Spain, Ethiopia, Moldova, India, South Africa |
| Rock formations | txn:42742, Nawata, Mytilinii, Nawata or Nachukui, Pikermi, Dytiko |
About Tragoportax
Tragoportax is an extinct genus of bovid ungulate. It lived from the upper Miocene to the earliest Pliocene, and its fossils have been found in southeastern Europe, parts of Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent. Tragoportax was formerly considered a close relative of the extant nilgai, though more recent studies suggest that it, and several other Miocene "boselaphins", formed a tribe of their own. The number of Tragoportax species has varied over the years, and some have been reassigned to the related genus Miotragocerus. The first Tragoportax specimens were discovered in Greece, and were originally assigned to Capra. Subsequently, they were reassigned to Tragocerus. This genus name was preoccupied by a beetle, and thus Tragoportax is the correct name.
Like many modern antelopes, Tragoportax exhibited sexual dimorphism. Both sexes were horned, with those of males being longer and slenderer, often curving backwards. The postcrania of the genus resemble those of large deer, such as red deer, and it may have been similar ecologically. Some species, like T. amalthea, inhabited lightly wooded environments, and fed predominantly on leaves. Others, like T. rugosifrons, were probably mixed feeders, feeding on both leaves and grasses. Tragoportax might have been cursorial.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Tragoportax (revision 1337285432), 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: Q15055090.
