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The bear, Agriotherium africanum The ancestors
of this enormous carnivore entered Africa from Eurasia
about 6 million years ago and rapidly spread
across the continent to the Cape.
The boselaphine antelope Mesembriportax (or Miotragocerus)
acrae
The last-surviving representative of its group recorded in Africa.
The gomphothere, Anancus
The gomphotheres became
extinct in Africa about 2 million years ago after having
originated on this continent more than 40 million years earlier.
The three-toed horse, Hipparion
The three-toed horse inhabited Africa
for nearly 12 million years. Because this horse
has a good fossil record, it is often used for the
relative dating of deposits in which it occurs.
A sabre-toothed cat
The sabre-tooths are distinguished
from other large cats by a variety of characteristics,
including enlarged upper canine teeth, smaller hindquarters, and
shorter tails.
Sivatheres in the riverside woodlands near Langebaanweg 5
million years ago
During the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene
the local climate became colder and drier, and the forests and
woodlands of the area were gradually replaced by shrublands and
grasslands. The sivatheres and other herbivores that relied on trees
for food were adversely affected by these changes and they suffered
a high mortality rate.
The wolverine, Plesiogulo monspessulanus
This representative
of a ferocious group of carnivores was as large as a small bear.
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