Ceratotherium neumayri
| Ceratotherium neumayri | |
|---|---|
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| Skull | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Rhinocerotidae |
| Genus: | Ceratotherium |
| Species: | †C. neumayri
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| Binomial name | |
| †Ceratotherium neumayri (Osborn, 1900)
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| Synonyms | |
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Ceratotherium neumayri is an extinct species of rhinoceros from the Late Miocene epoch (specifically the Vallesian and Turolian European land mammal ages) of the Balkans (including Greece[1] and Bulgaria[2]) and Western Asia (including Iran and Anatolia in Turkey).[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was originally named Atelodus neumayri by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1900.[4] It is considered part of the tribe Dicerotini (also spelled Diceroti) or subtribe Dicerotina, indicating a close relationship to the extant African rhinoceroses, the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).[5]
The generic assignment of neumayri is disputed, having been placed in both Ceratotherium and Diceros by various authors.[6] Some paleontologists have proposed it as a common ancestor to both Ceratotherium and Diceros,[7][8] while others suggest it represents an early, distinct evolutionary branch not directly ancestral to the modern African rhinos.[5] A 2022 study placed the species in the separate monotypic genus Miodiceros.[5]
Description
[edit]The species was a large sized rhinceros, and had two horns, a nasal and a frontal horn. The nasal septum was not ossified.[5]
Ecology
[edit]Analysis of dental microwear patterns on the teeth of C. neumayri suggests that it was a mixed feeder. This diet means it was adaptable, capable of both grazing on grasses and browsing on leaves and twigs from shrubs and trees.[9]
Discoveries
[edit]Fossils attributed to C. neumayri have been found across southeastern Europe and Western Asia. Fossils of the species have been found in the Balkans, including Bulgaria[2] and Greece (such as Pikermi, Samos, and Axios Valley).[1][5] Discoveries also extend into Anatolia and northern Iran, with occurrences in the southern Caucasus.[5]
In 2012, a well-preserved skull from Gülşehir, dating to around 9.2 million years ago was found. This individual is believed to have died due to extreme temperatures from a pyroclastic flow (ignimbrite) associated with a volcanic eruption.[3]
Some authors have suggested that the species was also present in Africa, based on Late Miocene remains found in Tunisia originally attributed to C. douariense.[10]
References
[edit]
- ^ a b Giaourtsakis, I.X. (2003). Late Neogene Rhinocerotidae of Greece: distribution, diversity and stratigraphical range. Deinsea, 10(1), 235–254.
- ^ a b Geraads D, Spassov N. (2009). Rhinocerotidae (Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Bulgaria. Palaeontographica A. 287:99–122.
- ^ a b Antoine, Pierre-Olivier; Orliac, Maeva J.; Atici, Gokhan; Ulusoy, Inan; Sen, Erdal; Çubukçu, H. Evren; Albayrak, Ebru; Oyal, Neşe; Aydar, Erkan; Sen, Sevket (2012). "A Rhinocerotid Skull Cooked-to-Death in a 9.2 Ma-Old Ignimbrite Flow of Turkey". PLOS ONE. 7 (11): e49997. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...749997A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049997. PMC 3503723. PMID 23185510.
- ^ Osborn HF (1900) Phylogeny of the rhinoceroses of Europe. Bull Am Mus Natur Hist 12:229–267.
- ^ a b c d e f Giaourtsakis, Ioannis X. (2022), Vlachos, Evangelos (ed.), "The Fossil Record of Rhinocerotids (Mammalia: Perissodactyla: Rhinocerotidae) in Greece", Fossil Vertebrates of Greece Vol. 2, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 409–500, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-68442-6_14, ISBN 978-3-030-68441-9, S2CID 239883886, retrieved 20 November 2023
- ^ Handa, Naoto; Nakatsukasa, Masato; Kunimatsu, Yutaka; Nakaya, Hideo (2019-02-07). "Additional specimens of Diceros (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) from the Upper Miocene Nakali Formation in Nakali, central Kenya". Historical Biology. 31 (2): 262–273. Bibcode:2019HBio...31..262H. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1362560. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 135074081.
- ^ Geraads, Denis (2005). "Pliocene Rhinocerotidae (Mammalia) from Hadar and Dikika (Lower Awash, Ethiopia), and a revision of the origin of modern african rhinos" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (2): 451–461. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0451:PRMFHA]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 52105151.
- ^ Antoine, Pierre-Olivier; Saraç, Gerçek (2005). "Rhinocerotidae from the late Miocene of Akkasdagi, Turkey". Geodiversitas. 27 (4): 601–632.
- ^ Hullot, Manon; Antoine, Pierre-Olivier; Spassov, Nikolai; Koufos, George D.; Merceron, Gildas (2023-08-03). "Late Miocene rhinocerotids from the Balkan-Iranian province: ecological insights from dental microwear textures and enamel hypoplasia". Historical Biology. 35 (8): 1417–1434. Bibcode:2023HBio...35.1417H. doi:10.1080/08912963.2022.2095910. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 251046561.
- ^ Pandolfi (2018). Evolutionary history of Rhinocerotina (Mammalia, Perissodactyla). Fossilia, Volume 2018
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