Giraffids are pecoran ruminants with bi-lobed canines and a special type of cranial appendage called ossicones, which are epiphyseal in origin and don’t fuse completely to the skull until later in life. Although the family Giraffidae has only two extant living African genera, in the past this family was much more diverse and widespread. Today we can recognize more than 40 fossil species, from multiple sites in Eurasia and Africa, which range from the early Miocene (20Ma) until today. Here we describe the exceptionally well preserved remains of the giraffid found in the late Miocene deposits of Batallones-4 (upper Vallesian, MN10, Torrejón de Velasco, Madrid, Spain). Batallones-4 is part of the Cerro de los Batallones fossil site complex and although it was excavated during the year 2000 there is no published results. The specimen from Batallones-4 has been identified as an old male of Decennatherium rex first identified from Batallones-10 as they share key morphological cranial similarities. This new skull helps us to better understand this species cranial anatomy, as well as its morphological development and variability.

1. A NEW SKULL OF DECENNATHERIUM REX RÍOS, SÁNCHEZ &
MORALES, 2017 FROM BATALLONES-4 (UPPER VALLESIAN, MN10,
MADRID, SPAIN)
M. Ríos1*, I. M. Sánchez2, and J. Morales1
1Departamento de Paleobiología. Museo Nacional
de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC.
C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2. 28006 Madrid, Spain
2Departmento de Faunas del Neógeno y
Cuaternario, Institut Català de Paleontologia-
Miquel Crusafont, Barcelona, Spain.
© Óscar Sanisidro

2. INTRODUCTION GIRAFFIDAE
RUMINANTIA
TRAGULIDAE
GIRAFFIDAE
ANTILOCAPRIDAE
CERVIDAE
MOSCHIDAE
BOVIDAE
PECORA

3. • BILOBED INFERIOR
CANINE
• I0/3 C0/1P3/3 M3/3 = 32
• OSSICONES: epiphysealin origin
and don’t fuse completely to the
skulluntil later in life
INTRODUCTION GIRAFFIDAE: DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
Davis et al., 2011
Giraffa camelopardalis

4. GIRAFFIDAE EXTANT
Okapia johnstoni
Giraffa camelopardalis
• Only in Africa
• 2 genera

5. GIRAFFA
Fennessy et al., 2016
• Sub-saharanAfrica
• 4 species
• Ossicones presentin males
and females

6. OKAPIAJOHNSTONI
• Democratic Republicof
Congo
• Endangered and
decreasingin numbers
• Ossicones only present
in males

7. INTRODUCTIONGIRAFFIDAE LATE MIOCENE
Canthumeryx
Schansitherium
Giraffokeryx
Giraffa
Sivatherium
Bramatherium
Bohlinia
• Very diverse
• Widespreadthroughout all
Eurasia

8. Decennatherium pachecoi
Birgerbohlinia schaubi
Decennatherium rex
INTRODUCTION GIRAFFIDAE: LATE MIOCENE OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

9. • Late vallesian(MN10, 9 Ma; late miocene)
INTRODUCTION GEOLOGICAL SETTING: CERRO DE LOS BATALLONES
Calvo et al., 2013
Ríos et al., 2017

10. Calvo et al., 2013
INTRODUCTION GEOLOGICAL SETTING
• BATALLONES-4AND 10:
UPPER PART
FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE AT BATALLONES 10:

11. INTRODUCTION FAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE AT BATALLONES
• 72 skeletalremains of a unique large
giraffidspecimen,possibly
Decennatheriumrex
Batallones-4(ONLY EXCAVATEDIN THE YEAR 2000)

12. • 9 m.y ago, Cerro de los Batallones

13. AIM OF THIS WORK
??
• Describethe new giraffidfrom Batallones-4
• Understand thisspeciescranialanatomy, as well as its morphological development
and variability.

14. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ríos et al., 2017
• An almost complete skull
and mandiblefrom
Batallones-4

15. DESCRIPTION CRANIAL SKELETON
 BLUNTAPEX
 PNEUMATIZED BASE
 ORIENTED
ANTERIORLY
2 ANTERIOR (FRONTALS)
2 POSTERIOR
(FRONTOPARIETALS)
 DEEP GROOVES
 SECONDARY
GROWTH:
ADDITIONAL
LAYER,
 CURVED
• 4 OSSICONES

16.  41 cm
• Large dorsal bumps
 2,5 cm
• Heavilyworn-out molars
DESCRIPTION CRANIAL SKELETON

17. • Large secondary bone growths similarto those
of Giraffacamelopardalis
Giraffa camelopardalis
DESCRIPTION CRANIAL SKELETON

18. α value of 8.94
β value of 87.85º
• More grazinghabits
DESCRIPTION CRANIAL SKELETON

19. RESULTS SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
• Decennatheriumrex RÍOS,SÁNCHEZ& MORALES,2017
• It is the same giraffidthat the one found in Batallones-
10
Type species

20. DISCUSSION
BAT-4
BAT-10
Morphotype I
Morphotype II
• BIOMMETRY AND MORPHOLOGY: Same taxon that in Batallones-10
• Corresponds with MORPHOTYPE II from Ríos et al., 2017 = MALE D. REX
BAT-10
Ríos et al., 2017

21. DISCUSSION
Old
Older Giraffamale
• LARGEBUMPS= secondary bone growth may be relatedto age, as in Giraffa
Decennatheriumrex

22. CONCLUSIONS
 There is sexual
dimorphism in D. rex,
and the Batallones-4
specimencorresponds
to a male
 Large bumps
on the
posterior
ossicones
may be AGE
RELATED
Old

23. Agradecimientos
MR acknowledges a FPI 2012 predoctoral grant (Spanish Government MINECO), as well as a FPI
2014 and 2015 short stay grants (Spanish Government MINECO). We thank P. Pérez, A. Fraile
and the MNCN, for access to collections and assistance as well as the Batallones excavation team.
Enrique Cantero curated the Batallones remains. Photographies by Arkive , MR and IMS.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanksfor the
illustrationsto Oscar Sanisidro
andMauricioAntón

24. Thank you a lot for your attention!