ARIZONA'S FIRST PLEISTOCENE MUSKOX (BOOTHERIUM BOMBIFRONS)

The discovery of a partial cranium of Bootherium bombifrons (Harlan 1925) in February, 2003 provides the first record of the species in Arizona. The discovery was made by Ethan Wright and Ryan Horgan of Cornville, Arizona. The specimen was found in terrace gravels along Oak Creek. The young men first thought they had discovered a Bison skull. Configuration of the partial horn core, cranial characteristics, and the smaller overall cranial size revealed it was a muskox skull instead. This discovery documents a southwestern range extension for this extinct species.