Paraceratherium
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Paraceratherium bugtiense (Pilgrim, 1908) |
Paraceratherium bugtiense was a gigantic hornless rhinoceros, whose fossils have been found in the Chitarwata Formation of the Bugti Hills, Balochistan. It lived during the early Miocene, when this region of Central Asia was covered in lush tropical rainforest.
While distinct at the species level, there is disagreement over whether or not this animal should be placed in the same genus as Indricotherium transouralicum (also known as Baluchitherium grangeri). If they are considered the same genus, then those latter two genera would become synonyms of Paraceratherium, because, according to the rules of scientific classification the first publication takes priority, and the name Paraceratherium predates the other two by over a decade.
[edit] Species of Paraceratherium
Lucas and Sobus 1989, in their review of the family Indricotheriinae, recognise four valid species of Paraceratherium; these are:
Paraceratherium transouralicum (Pavlova, 1922) Also known as Indricotherium, this is the best known and most widespread species, known from the Middle and Late Oligocene of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Nei Monggol in northern China. Lucas and Sobus list the following species as synonyms: Indricotherium asiaticum Borissiak, 1923, Indricotherium minus Borissiak, 1923, and Baluchitherium grangeri Osborn, 1923.
Paraceratherium orgosensis (Chiu, 1973) is the largest species, the teeth being at least a quarter again as big as P. transouralicum (see Lucas and Sobus p.363/fig.19.2) It is known from the Middle and Late Oligocene of Xinjiang, northwest China. The three synonyms are Dzungariotherium orgosensis Chiu, 1973 and (each of the following named after a separate skull) Dzungariotherium turfanensis Xu & Wang, 1978 and Paraceratherium lipidus Xu & Wang, 1978. While there is some variation in details of the proportions of the skull (perhaps due to sexual dimorphism), all occur in a close geographical region and have distinct first and second upper molar crochets.
Paraceratherium bugtiense (Pilgrim, 1908) from the early Miocene of Pakistan is the type species of Paraceratherium. "Baluchitherium" osborni Forster Cooper, 1913a is a synonym.
Paraceratherium prohorovi (Borissiak, 1939) from the late Oligocene or early Miocene of eastern Kazakhstan.
[edit] External links
- Indricotherium
- Discovery Channel - Answers from Dr. Mikael Fortelius
- Hyracodontidae: Indricotheriinae and Synonyms of Paraceratherium transouralicum - Mikko's Phylogeny Archive - follows Lucas and Sorbus
[edit] Reference
- Lucas, S. G. & Sobus, J. C., (1989), The Systematics of Indricotheres. 358-378 in Prothero, D. R. & Schoch, R. M., (eds.) 1989: The Evolution of Perissodactyls, Oxford University Press, New York, New York & Oxford, England, ix-537 - argues that Indricotherium should be included under Paraceratherium
