Arsinoitheriidae
| Arsinoitheriids Temporal range: Late Eocene - Early Oligocene | |
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| Skeleton of Arsinoitherium zitteli | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Superorder: | Afrotheria |
| Order: | †Embrithopoda |
| Family: | †Arsinoitheriidae Andrews, 1904 |
| Genus | |
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Arsinoitheriidae is a family of extinct hoofed mammals belonging to the extinct order Embrithopoda. Remains have been found in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Romania. When alive, they would have had a great, albeit very superficial, resemblance to the modern rhinoceros. Despite this, they were not closely related to rhinoceri (or any other perissodactyl), instead being more related to hyraxes, elephants, sirenians, and possibly desmostylians.
Fossil record
The last genus is Arsinoitherium, itself, being first found in the Latest Eocene of the Fayum, then disappearing from the fossil record altogether before the end of the Early Oligocene. '
Etymology
The name honors the wife of Ptolemy II, Queen Arsinoe II of Egypt, as the first fossils of Arsinoitherium were found near the ruins of her palace.