# Syncerus antiquus

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Extinct species of buffalo

Syncerus antiquus Temporal range: Late Pleistocene - Holocene Skull of Syncerus antiquus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Placentalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Syncerus Species: †S. antiquus Binomial name †Syncerus antiquus (Duvernoy, 1851) Synonyms Bubalus antiquus Bubalus bainii Bubalus nilssoni Homoioceras antiquus Pelorovis antiquus

***Syncerus antiquus*** is an extinct species of [buffalo](/source/Bubalina) from the [Late Pleistocene](/source/Late_Pleistocene) and [Holocene](/source/Holocene) of [Africa](/source/Africa).[1] It was one of the largest species in its family, potentially weighing up to 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb). Due to this fact, it is sometimes known as the **African giant buffalo**, or as the **long-horned buffalo** due to its exceptionally long horns (see Description). The time of its extinction is of debate; *Syncerus antiquus* either became extinct at the end of the Late Pleistocene about 12,000 years ago or during the Holocene, some 4,000 years ago.[2][3]

## Taxonomy

*Syncerus antiquus* was described by [Georges Louis Duvernoy](/source/Georges_Louis_Duvernoy) in 1851 from a skull discovered along the [Bou Sellam River](/source/Bou_Sellam_River) near the city of [Sétif](/source/S%C3%A9tif), [Algeria](/source/Algeria). It was found at one meter in depth, when excavating the foundations of a new mill, and subsequently sent to Paris.[1][4] Duvernoy believed this species to be closely related to the [water buffalo](/source/Water_buffalo) *Bubalus bubalis* and classified it as *Bubalus antiquus*. Several other fossils of *S. antiquus* were described under the names *Bubalus bainii* and *Bubalus nilssoni*.

In 1949, [Dorothy Bate](/source/Dorothy_Bate) recognized that these buffaloes were conspecific and not related to *Bubalus*, so she placed these fossils in a new genus, *Homoioceras*.[5] However, the type species of *Homoiceros* was found to be synonymous with the living [African buffalo](/source/African_buffalo) *Syncerus caffer*, invalidating the genus. It was subsequently moved to *[Pelorovis](/source/Pelorovis)* in 1978.[6][7] However, a link with the living African buffalo has been noted based on morphological and systematic grounds. Since 1994, it has been suggested that *P. antiquus* be moved into *[Syncerus](/source/Syncerus).*[8] This proposal has since gained widespread acceptance.[3]

## Description

Skull of *Syncerus antiquus*

*Syncerus antiquus* holds the distinction of being the largest bovid described from Africa.[3] According to [Auguste Pomel](/source/Auguste_Pomel), who was able to examine numerous fossils in Algeria, *S. antiquus* may have reached 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length from muzzle to the end of the tail, 1.85 metres (6.1 ft) in height at the [withers](/source/Withers), and 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) in height at the [hindquarters](/source/Hindquarters).[4][9] The distance between the tips of its horns was as large as 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in).[4] It probably weighed about 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb) on average, though the largest males could have potentially attained weights of up to 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb).[10]

One of the defining features of *Syncerus antiquus* are its massive horns. The largest horn cores can reach sizes of as much as 3 metres (9.8 ft) from tip to tip. The horns resembled those of the [wild water buffalo](/source/Wild_water_buffalo) (*Bubalus arnee*) in shape.[4]

## Distribution

This buffalo had the broadest geographic distribution of any recently extinct species of African bovid, being widespread throughout eastern, southern and northern Africa.[3] Material has been dated to the Late Pleistocene, between 107 and 13 ka.[11]

However, rock art from [North Africa](/source/North_Africa) seemingly depicting *Syncerus antiquus* suggests that this species survived into the [Holocene](/source/Holocene).[12] Possible fossils of *S. antiquus* have also been found in Holocene deposits.

## Paleoecology

Restoration of *Syncerus antiquus* (far left)

Due to possessing such vast horns, it seems likely that *Syncerus antiquus* was limited to wide-open areas with few trees.[8] Isotopic and mesowear evidence indicate that it was a grazer, and its massive body size suggests that it consumed large quantities of low-quality forage.[13]

Judging from the rock art, it seems pairs of the male animals (testes are illustrated) would fight by ramming each other's horns with their heads lowered – this is illustrated numerous times. Rock art also suggests that it may have lived in large herds.[4]

## Recent survival and extinction

[Rock art](/source/Rock_art) of "great bubaline" from northern Africa, thought to depict *S. antiquus*

A large amount of [rock art](/source/Rock_art#North_Africa) has been found illustrating the species *Syncerus antiquus* in the [Maghreb](/source/Maghreb), the [Atlas](/source/Atlas_Mountains), the [Sahara](/source/Sahara) and near to the [Atlantic](/source/Atlantic) and [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean) coasts of North Africa. The art is found in a wide band stretching from [Tunisia](/source/Tunisia) through Algeria to [Morocco](/source/Morocco). This art not only indicates that the buffalo may have survived until recent times, it also indicates these animals were being actively hunted with spears, possibly by the first of the [Berber peoples](/source/Berber_people).[4]

Its extinction has been variously attributed to human predation, climatic change, or some combination of the two.[8]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Duvernoy1851_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Duvernoy1851_1-1) [Duvernoy, Georges Louis](/source/Georges_Louis_Duvernoy) (December 1851). ["note sur une espèce de buffle fossile \[*Bubalis* (*Arni*) *antiquus*\], découverte en Algérie, caractérisée et décrite par M. Duvernoy"](https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36264852). *[Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des Sciences](/source/Comptes_rendus_de_l'Acad%C3%A9mie_des_Sciences)* (in French). **33**: 595–597. Retrieved 31 August 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Walkers_2-0)** Ronald M. Nowak: *Walker's Mammals of the World*. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8018-5789-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8018-5789-9)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Faith_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Faith_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Faith_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Faith_3-3) Faith, J. Tyler (2014). ["Late Pleistocene and Holocene mammal extinctions on continental Africa"](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001282521300175X). *Earth-Science Reviews*. **128**: 105–121. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.10.009](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.earscirev.2013.10.009).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Berbère_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Berbère_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Berbère_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Berbère_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Berbère_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Berbère_4-5) Camps, Gabriel (1992). ["Bubalus antiquus"](http://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1875). In Camps, Gabriel (ed.). *Encyclopédie Berbère* (in French). Aix-en-Provence: Edisud. pp. 1642–1647. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1875](https://doi.org/10.4000%2Fencyclopedieberbere.1875). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200718185339/http://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1875) from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Bate, Dorothea M.A. (1949). "A new African fossil long-horned buffalo". *Annals and Magazine of Natural History*. **2** (17): 396–398. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/00222934908526730](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00222934908526730).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Maglio, Vincent J.; Cooke, H. B. S., eds. (1978). *Evolution of African Mammals*. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp. 540–572. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.4159/harvard.9780674431263](https://doi.org/10.4159%2Fharvard.9780674431263). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780674431256](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780674431256).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Martínez2007_7-0)** Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; Pérez-Claros, Juan Antonio; Palombo, Maria Rita; Rook, Lorenzo; Palmqvist, Paul (September 2007). ["The Olduvai buffalo *Pelorovis* and the origin of *Bos*"](http://www.cetnotorolidia.org/opencms_wf/opencms/system/modules/es.jcyl.ita.site.torodelidia/elements/galleries/galeria_downloads/The_origin_of_Bos.pdf) (PDF). *Quaternary Research*. **68** (2): 220–226. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2007QuRes..68..220M](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007QuRes..68..220M). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.yqres.2007.06.002](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.yqres.2007.06.002). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [55104027](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:55104027). Retrieved 8 January 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Klein_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Klein_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Klein_8-2) Klein, Richard G. (November 1994). ["The Long-Horned African Buffalo (Pelorovis antiquus) is an Extinct Species"](https://doi.org/10.1006%2Fjasc.1994.1072). *Journal of Archaeological Science*. **21** (6): 725–733. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1006/jasc.1994.1072](https://doi.org/10.1006%2Fjasc.1994.1072).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Pomel, Auguste](/source/Auguste_Pomel) (1893). [Bubalus antiquus](https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13747484). Carte de Géologie de l’Algérie - Paléontologie Monographies de Vertébrés (in French). Algiers: imprimerie P. Fontana. pp. 1–94, pl.1-10. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.5962/bhl.title.13867](https://doi.org/10.5962%2Fbhl.title.13867).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Donald R. Prothero](/source/Donald_Prothero) (2016). [*The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals*](https://books.google.com/books?id=tWiYDwAAQBAJ). Princeton University Press. p. 184. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780691156828](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780691156828). Retrieved 31 August 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Klein, R.G. (1980). "Environmental and ecological implications of large mammals from Upper Pleistocene and Holocene sites in southern Africa". *Ann. S. Afr. Mus*. **81**: 223–283. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/0033-5894(91)90019-2](https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0033-5894%2891%2990019-2). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [59359208](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:59359208).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Gautier, A.; Muzzolini, A. (1991). "The life and times of the giant buffalo alias Bubalus/Homoioceras/Pelorovis antiquus in North Africa". *Archaeozoologia*. **4**: 39–92.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Codron, D. (2008). "The evolution of ecological specialization in southern African ungulates: competition or physical environmental turnover". *Oikos*. **117** (3): 334–353. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.2007.0030-1299.16387.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.2007.0030-1299.16387.x).

Taxon identifiers Syncerus antiquus Wikidata: Q107969812 GBIF: 11327982 Open Tree of Life: 3611851

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