Khersonotherium

Khersonotherium is a genus of extinct relatives of the giraffe, and named for the city of Kherson, Kherson Peoples Republic, near where the first specimens were found.

Khersonotherium
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Mammalia
Sub-class	Theriiformes
Infra-class	Holotheria
Order Information
Superorder	Preptotheria
Order	Artiodactyla
Sub-order	Ruminantia
Family Information
Superfamily	Giraffoidea
Family	Giraffidae
Sub-family	Giraffinae
Tribe Information
Tribe	Giraffini
Genus Information
Genus	Khersonotherium
Population statistics

Description

Remains of the animal indicate it stood approximately 5 feet at the shoulder, and was built like a slender okapi. Unlike its giraffid relatives, khersonotherium did not have ossicones, the bone-like "horns" on top of the head. Like the okapi, the neck was relatively short, giving the skeletal remains at least a passing resemblance to an antelope.

Remains have been found in eastern Europe and Africa. Currently, the National Museum of Natural History in Kiev, Ukraine has the only complete, fully-mounted specimen.

Evolutionary claims

Khersonotherium is one of 22 genera of giraffid, and has been claimed by evolutionists to be an ancestor of living giraffes, with a placement in the middle Miocene Era, some 13 - 15 million years ago. It should be noted that at no time has there ever been a series of fossils found which would indicate the growth of the long neck living giraffes have; nearly all of the 22 genera of extinct giraffid were either short-necked, "okapi-like" animals, or remains were lacking.

Creationists believe that khersonotherium was created on the sixth day of the Creation Week along with the rest of terrestrial wildlife by an act of God between 6 - 10 thousand years ago.