| Palaeomerycidae Fossil range: Oligocene–Pliocene |
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Palaeomerycidae is a family of ruminants that is probably ancestral to the deers, and the musk deers might be a surviving representative of the group, though they are still grouped in a separate family. They first appeared in the early Oligocene epoch and disappeared in the Pliocene. Most species lacked antlers, though some were found in later species.