''Diceratherium'' (meaning "two horned beast") is an extinct genus of
rhinoceros
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...
endemic to
North America,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
during the
Oligocene through
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
living from 33.9 to 11.6
mya, existing for approximately . Mass estimates for the type species, ''D. armatum'' average around
Taxonomy
''Diceratherium'' was named by Marsh (1875). It is not extant. Its type is ''Diceratherium armatum''. It was assigned to
Rhinocerotidae
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...
by Marsh (1875) and Carroll (1988); to
Diceratheriinae by Prothero (1998); to
Aceratheriinae
Aceratheriinae is an extinct subfamily of rhinoceros endemic to Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, from the Oligocene through the Pliocene. It lived from 33.9 to 3.4 mya, existing for approximately .
Taxonomy
Aceratheriinae was named b ...
by Weidmann and Ginsburg (1999); and to
Teleoceratini by Sach and Heizmann (2001).
[V. J. Sach and E. P. J. Heizmann. 2001. Stratigraphy and mammal faunas of the Brackwassermolasse in the surroundings of Ulm (Southwest Germany). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) 310:1-95]
''Diceratherium'' had two
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
s side by side on its nose. It lived during the
Miocene Epoch
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...
.
References
Serravallian genus extinctions
Oligocene mammals of North America
Cenozoic mammals of Europe
Cenozoic mammals of Asia
Oligocene rhinoceroses
White River Fauna
Chattian genus first appearances
Miocene rhinoceroses
Fossil taxa described in 1875
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