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, including a rear part of the skull with part of the teeth and several skeletal elements of the body. The most complete skull to date was found in the upper area of the Liushu Formation near Houaigou in the Guanghe District of Gansu Province. The Liushu Formation is about 100 m thick and over wide ranges of Linxia basin digested. This section is dated to about 7 to 6.4 million years and thus belongs to the end of the
''Sinotherium'' ("
near Chono-Khariakha, a 72 cm long, well-preserved lower jaw was discovered which dates to the Lower Pliocene.Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
Beast") is a genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of single-horned
A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
In mammals, true horns ...
elasmotheriine rhinoceros that lived from the late Miocene
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...
(Tortonian
The Tortonian is in the geologic time scale an age or stage of the late Miocene that spans the time between 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma and 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Serravallian and is followed by the Messinian.
The Torton ...
- Messinian
The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the first ...
) to Early Pliocene
Early may refer to:
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* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
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* Early, Texas
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. It was ancestral to ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
,'' demonstrating a very important evolutionary transition from nasal-horned elasmotheriine
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 ...
s to frontal
Front may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film
* ''The Front'', 1976 film
Music
* The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...
-horned
A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
In mammals, true horns ...
elasmotheriine
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 ...
s. Its fossils have been found in the Karabulak Formation of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, lower jaw and teeth have been found in Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, and a partial skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
is known from the upper part of the Liushu Formation of western China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
''Sinotherium'' diverged from the ancestral genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
, ''Iranotherium
''Iranotherium'' ("Beast of Iran") was a genus of large elasmotheriine rhinoceros, comparable in size to a modern white rhinoceros, white rhino. It is known from the Late Miocene (Tortonian) of Maragheh, Maragha, Iran and the middle part of the Pa ...
'', first found in Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, during the early Pliocene
Early may refer to:
History
* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
** Early Christianity
** Early modern Europe
Places in the United States
* Early, Iowa
* Early, Texas
* Early ...
. Some experts prefer to lump ''Sinotherium'', and ''Iranotherium
''Iranotherium'' ("Beast of Iran") was a genus of large elasmotheriine rhinoceros, comparable in size to a modern white rhinoceros, white rhino. It is known from the Late Miocene (Tortonian) of Maragheh, Maragha, Iran and the middle part of the Pa ...
'' into ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
''.
Discovery, History and Taxonomy
Species
The type species of ''Sinotherium'' is ''S. lagrelii''. It is also known to have an additional species from the Zaisan depression of Kazakhstan called ''S. zaisanensis'', however, doubt has been raised on its validity.Discovery
Finds of ''Sinotherium'' are rather rare and often only fragmentary. The first fossils, which also led to the description of therhinoceros
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 o ...
genus, came to light at the beginning of the 20th century and were discovered by JG Andersson in the Baode district in the Chinese province of Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
in deposits from the Upper Miocene. These mainly consisted of isolated teeth, but also an upper jaw fragment with the preserved row of teeth from the second premolar to the penultimate molar and a lower jaw fragment.Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...Miocene
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 recen ...
. The geological deposits of the Linxia Basin have already produced numerous well-preserved fossil rhinoceros remains, including numerous representatives of the Elasmotheria. Only the part of the snout is missing from the skull and it provided evidence of the location of the horns in ''Sinotherium''.
Description
Skull and Horn
The horns of older elasmotheriines are present on theirnasals
In phonetics, a nasal, also called a nasal occlusive or nasal stop in contrast with an oral stop or nasalized consonant, is an occlusive consonant produced with a lowered velum, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. The vast majorit ...
(nose), whereas the horn of ''Sinotherium''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
'' is present on its frontals (forehead), ''Sinotherium'' shows a unique condition in which its horn is present in an intermediate "naso-frontal" position. This represents the horn shifting from its ancestral nasal position to the derived frontal position, eventually resulting in the completely frontal restricted position of ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
''.
In addition to the nasofrontal horn, ''Sinotherium'' also preserves a rugosity on its forehead, just behind the nasofrontal horn, which implies that the animal had two horns.
Paleobiology
Evolution
Earlyelasmotheriine
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 ...
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
of the line leading to ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
'', have a dolichocephalic
Dolichocephaly (derived from the Ancient Greek δολιχός 'long' and κεφαλή 'head') is a condition where the head is longer than would be expected, relative to its width. In humans, scaphocephaly is a form of dolichocephaly.
Dolichocep ...
skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
supporting a horn growing on their nose
A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...
, just like any other Rhinocerotid, however, ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
'' was the sole member of Elasmotheriinae that had a brachycephalic
Brachycephaly (derived from the Ancient Greek '' βραχύς'', 'short' and '' κεφαλή'', 'head') is the shape of a skull shorter than typical for its species. It is perceived as a desirable trait in some domesticated dog and cat breeds, ...
skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
and supported a horn on its forehead
In human anatomy, the forehead is an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp grows. The bottom of the fore ...
instead. A transition between this state of nose
A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...
-horned
A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
In mammals, true horns ...
to forehead
In human anatomy, the forehead is an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp grows. The bottom of the fore ...
-horned
A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
In mammals, true horns ...
elasmotheriines remained missing until 2012, when the first cranial remains of ''Sinotherium lagrelii,'' (specimen IVPP V 18539, a partial skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...
housed at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
) was described, demonstrating a very important transition from nose-horned
A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
In mammals, true horns ...
elasmotheriines like '' Ningxiatherium'' to forehead-horned
A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. Horns are distinct from antlers, which are not permanent.
In mammals, true horns ...
elasmotheriines like ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
''.
While the horns of '' Ningxiatherium''-like elasmotheriines are present on their nasals
In phonetics, a nasal, also called a nasal occlusive or nasal stop in contrast with an oral stop or nasalized consonant, is an occlusive consonant produced with a lowered velum, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. The vast majorit ...
, and the horn of ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
'' on its frontals, ''Sinotherium'' shows its horn to be present in a "nasofrontal" position, (present on both the nose and the forehead). This shows the horn shifting from its ancestral nasal position to a more derived frontal position, eventually resulting in the completely frontal restricted position of ''Elasmotherium
''Elasmotherium'' is an extinct genus of large rhinoceros endemic to Eurasia during Late Miocene through the Pleistocene, existing at least as late as 39,000 years ago in the Late Pleistocene. A more recent date of 26,000 BP is considered ...
''.
Distribution and Paleoecology
''Sinotherium'' first appeared during theLate Miocene
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...
, occupying east Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...
n and Mid-Asian regions, but remains dating to the Early Pliocene
Early may refer to:
History
* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
** Early Christianity
** Early modern Europe
Places in the United States
* Early, Iowa
* Early, Texas
* Early ...
can be found from eastern Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
to as far as the Kumo-Manych depression of South-Western Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. This showed that at the beginning of the Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58
''Sinotherium'' is known from 
In China, the species ''S. lagrelii'' is known from an age of 7 Ma from the red clays of the Late Miocene Liushu Formation in the
*Mikko's Phylogeny Archive, "Rhinocerotidae: †Elasmotheriinae: †Elasmotheriini: †Elasmotheriina
*''New Remains of Paraelasmotherium (Perissodactyla. Rhinocerotidae) from the Miocene in Dongxiang Study. Gansu, China'
{{Taxonbar, from=Q938485 Miocene rhinoceroses Neogene mammals of Asia Pliocene rhinoceroses Fossil taxa described in 1924 Miocene mammals of Asia Pliocene mammals of Asia
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Late Miocene
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...
deposits of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, and China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
In China, the species ''S. lagrelii'' is known from an age of 7 Ma from the red clays of the Late Miocene Liushu Formation in the Linxia Basin Línxià (), the toponym for a number a places in Gansu, China formerly known as Hezhou, refers to:
*Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture ()
**Linxia City (), county-level city in Linxia Prefecture
**Linxia County
Linxia County (, Xiao'erjing: ) is ...
, Gansu
Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province.
The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...
Province, accompanying one bear (''Ursavus
''Ursavus'' is an extinct genus of bear that existed in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Miocene period, about 23–5.3 million years ago (Mya), existing for roughly . The genus apparently dispersed from Asia into North America abo ...
sp.''), one badger-like mustelid
The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in ...
('' Parataxidea sinensis''), three hyenas ('' Hyaenictitherium wongii'', ''H. hyaenoides'', and ''Ictitherium
''Ictitherium'' is an extinct genus belonging to the family (biology), family Hyaenidae and the subfamily Ictitheriinae erected by Trouessart in 1897. ''Ictitherium'' species were endemic to Eurasia and Africa during the Middle Miocene through th ...
sp.''), three felids
Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the dom ...
('' Amphimachairodus giganteus'', ''Metailurus
''Metailurus'' is a genus of saber-toothed cat in the family Felidae, and belonging to the tribe Metailurini, which occurred in North America, Eurasia and Africa from the Miocene to the Middle Pleistocene. This genus was formally described by O. ...
major'', and ''Felis
''Felis'' is a genus of small and medium-sized cat species native to most of Africa and south of 60° latitude in Europe and Asia to Indochina. The genus includes the domestic cat. The smallest ''Felis'' species is the black-footed cat with a he ...
sp.''), one chalicothere
Chalicotheres (from Greek '' chalix'', "gravel" and '' therion'', "beast") are an extinct clade of herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate (perissodactyl) mammals that lived in North America, Eurasia, and Africa from the Middle Eocene until the Early Plei ...
('' Ancylotherium sp.''), one three-toed horse ('' Hipparion coelophyes''), one deer ('' Dicrocerus sp.''), one giraffid (''Palaeotragus microdon
''Palaeotragus'' ("ancient goat") is a genus of very large, primitive, okapi-like giraffids from the Miocene of Africa and Eurasia.
''Palaeotragus primaevus'' is the older species, being found in early to mid-Miocene strata, while ''P. germaini' ...
''), and three bovids
The Bovidae comprise the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and caprines. A member of this family is called a bovid. With 143 extant species and 300 known extinct species, the ...
('' Sinotragus wimani'', '' Tsaidamotherium hedini'' and '' Protoryx sp.''). Of these, the combination of '' H. coelophyes'', '' S. wimani'', and '' Protoryx sp''. strongly support a late Late Miocene
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...
age. Pollen analysis
Palynology is the "study of dust" (from grc-gre, παλύνω, palynō, "strew, sprinkle" and ''-logy'') or of "particles that are strewn". A classic palynologist analyses particulate samples collected from the air, from water, or from deposits ...
of the Liushu Formation showed that grasses increased significantly and became dominant, especially xerophilous
A xerophile () is an extremophilic organism that can grow and reproduce in conditions with a low availability of water, also known as water activity. Water activity (aw) is measured as the humidity above a substance relative to the humidity above p ...
and sub-xerophilous grasses, along with some broad leaves of temperate and warm temperate zones, suggesting that the vegetation of the Liushu Formation belonged to a subarid or arid
A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...
steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the temperate grasslands, ...
.
In Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, ''Sinotherium zaisanensis'' is known from the Karabulak formation which dates to 6.3–6.5 Ma (Late Miocene
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...
). It coexisted with four caniforms
Caniformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "dog-like" carnivorans. They include dogs (wolves, foxes, etc.), bears, raccoons, and mustelids. The Pinnipedia (seals, walruses and sea lions) are also assigned to this group. ...
('' Martes sp., Promeles sp., Plesiogulo crassa Teilhard, Indarctos punjabiensis''), three feliforms
Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniform ...
('' Adcrocuta eximia, Hyaenictitherium hyaenoides orlovi,'' ''Amphimachairodus kurteni''), three perissodactyls
Odd-toed ungulates, mammals which constitute the taxonomic order Perissodactyla (, ), are animals—ungulates—who have reduced the weight-bearing toes to three (rhinoceroses and tapirs, with tapirs still using four toes on the front legs) o ...
( ''Hipparion hippidiodus'', '' H. elegans'', '' Chilotherium sp.)'', and six artiodactyls
The even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla , ) are ungulates—hoofed animals—which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes: the third and fourth. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing poster ...
('' Cervavitus novorossiae, Procapreolus latifrons, Samotherium cf. irtyshense, Paleotragus (Yuorlovia) asiaticus, Tragoportax sp., Gazella dorcadoides''). The climate that ''Sinotherium zaisanensis'' lived in was mild and arid. It was a habitat of wide, open steppes.
References
External links
*"Elasmotherians- Evolution, Distribution, and Ecology*Mikko's Phylogeny Archive, "Rhinocerotidae: †Elasmotheriinae: †Elasmotheriini: †Elasmotheriina
*''New Remains of Paraelasmotherium (Perissodactyla. Rhinocerotidae) from the Miocene in Dongxiang Study. Gansu, China'
{{Taxonbar, from=Q938485 Miocene rhinoceroses Neogene mammals of Asia Pliocene rhinoceroses Fossil taxa described in 1924 Miocene mammals of Asia Pliocene mammals of Asia