Forbearer of Giraffe found in Spain

SCIENTIFIC online journal Plos One published details on December 2 of the findings of a group of researchers from the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC in Madrid which was led by Israel M Sanchez.

The paper describes an ancient creature now called Xenokeryx amidalae whose fossils were found at the La Retama fossil site within the Loranca Basin.

The animal is part of an extinct family related to the giraffe which lived up to 16 million years ago and has been named in honour of Star Wars character Padme Amidala due to the similarity of its horn to the character’s headwear in the film, Phantom Menace.