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Narrow-nosed rhinoceros

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Narrow-nosed rhinoceros
Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene–Late Pleistocene
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Skull of Stephanorhinus hemitoechus
Stephanorhinus hemitoechus life restoration
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Rhinocerotidae
Genus: †Stephanorhinus
Species:
†S. hemitoechus
Binomial name
†Stephanorhinus hemitoechus
Falconer, 1859
Synonyms
  • Dicerorhinus hemitoechus Falconer, 1859
  • Rhinoceros hemitoechus Falconer, 1859
  • Rhinoceros binagadensis Dzhafarov, 1955
  • Rhinoceros subinermis Pomel, 1895

The narrow-nosed rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus hemitoechus), also known as the steppe rhinoceros is an extinct species of rhinoceros belonging to the genus Stephanorhinus that lived in western Eurasia, including Europe, as well as North Africa[1] during the Pleistocene. It first appeared in Europe around 500,000 years ago during the Middle Pleistocene and survived there until at least 34,000 years Before Present.

Taxonomy[edit]

The species was originally described by Hugh Falconer in 1859 based on remains found in cave deposits in Glamorganshire, south Wales in Great Britain, dating to the Eemian interglacial (130-115,000 years ago).[2]

Description[edit]

Skulls from top to bottom. S. kirchbergensis, S. hemitoechus and the woolly rhinoceros, showing the difference in head angle

The narrow-nosed rhinoceros was a large animal, reaching a body mass of approximately 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb), making it around the same size/slightly larger than S. hundsheimensis, but smaller than S. kirchbergensis.[3] The size of the species was somewhat variable depending on local conditions, with those from the Last Glacial Period in southern Italy being smaller than average.[4] The skull is low slung, with the cranium being downwardly directed. The teeth are relatively high crowned (hypsodont) compared to other Stephanorhinus species, with the third molars being relatively enlarged. The limb joints are relatively shallow with the limb bones being broad.[5]

Ecology[edit]

The narrow-nosed rhinoceros probably favored temperate open areas rich in low-growing vegetation. It displayed many similarities to its better known extinct relative, the woolly rhinoceros. Tooth wear analysis suggests that the narrow-nosed rhinoceros had a diet tending towards grazing or mixed feeding, and clearly distinct from the more browsing focused diet inferred for S. kirchbergensis on average.[6][7][8][9]

Distribution and chronology[edit]

Range of Stephanorhinus hemitoechus (blue) and Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (red), with overlapping range in purple

In comparison to the widespread Merck's rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis), the narrow-nosed rhinoceros had a more restricted distribution, including Europe,[10][11] as well as West Asia[12] and North Africa.[1] Remains found in Azerbaijan were previously referred to the species Rhinoceros binagadensis, while those in North Africa were referred to Rhinoceros subinermis.[13] In North Africa, remains are known from Cyrenacia in Libya[1] and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco[1] and Algeria.[14] In West Asia, the range of the species extends as far eastwards as western Iran.[15]

The earliest remains of the species in Europe date to the early-mid Middle Pleistocene, around 500,000 years ago.[16] It had its widest distribution in Europe during interglacial periods where it would extend as far north as Great Britain, co-occurring alongside other large megafauna like the straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), as well as the hippopotamus.[17]

In North Africa, remains of the narrow-nosed rhinoceros are known dating between 109-53,000 years ago.[1]

The narrow-nosed rhinoceros survived latest in southern Europe. The last records in Italy date to around 41,000 years ago,[9] while remains dating to 40,000 years ago are knowns from Bacho Kiro cave in Bulgaria.[18] In the Iberian Peninsula, the latest records of the species date to 34,000 years ago.[19] Its extinction is suggested to be due at least in part due to climatic change causing habitat fragmentation resulting in population fragmentation, with small populations more likely to become extinct as a result of stochastic processes.[9]

Human exploitation[edit]

Specimens of S. hemitoechus from the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 12, 478,000-424,000 years ago) Caune de l'Arago site in Southern France shows extensive evidence of butchery by archaic humans (presumably by Tautavel Man, which is found at the same site). The ratios of skeletal elements implies that only the parts of the body with the most meat were carried to the site. The profile of ages of rhino bones in the cave resembles natural mortality curves, suggesting that there was not selective hunting, and the fact that marks of other carnivores are rare implies that the carcasses were acquired by hunting or active scavenging.[20] A skull from Cueva Des-Cubierta in central Spain, dating to the early-mid Late Pleistocene (MIS 4-early MIS 3, ~71-43,000 years ago), exhibits fracturing and cut marks consistent with butchery likely by Neanderthals. The missing pieces of the skull were not found in the cave, suggesting that it had been butchered off-site. It has been proposed that the skull was kept as a hunting trophy along with the skulls of aurochs and bison.[21] Several other sites in Spain demonstrate the exploitation of S. hemitoechus by Neanderthals during the early-mid Late Pleistocene, including Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter[22] and Abric Romani.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Faith, J. Tyler (2014). "Late Pleistocene and Holocene mammal extinctions on continental Africa". Earth-Science Reviews. 128: 105–121. Bibcode:2014ESRv..128..105F. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.10.009.
  2. ^ J. van der Made The rhinos from the middle Pleistocene of Neumark-Nord (Saxony-Anhalt) Veröffentlichungen des Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie, 62 (2010), pp. 433-527
  3. ^ Saarinen, J; Eronen, J; Fortelius, M; Seppä, H; Lister, A (2016). "Patterns of diet and body mass of large ungulates from the Pleistocene of Western Europe, and their relation to vegetation". Palaeontologia Electronica. doi:10.26879/443. ISSN 1094-8074.
  4. ^ Pandolfi, Luca; Petronio, Carmelo (2011). "The small-sized rhinoceroses from the Late Pleistocene of Apulia (southern Italy)". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. 117 (3): 509–520. doi:10.13130/2039-4942/5989.
  5. ^ 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, retrieved 2024-06-13
  6. ^ Fortelius, M.; Mazza, P.; Sala, B. (1993). "Stephanorhinus (Mammalia: Rhinocerotidae) of the Western European Pleistocene, with a revision of S. etruscus (Falconer, 1868)". Palaeontographia Italica, Pisa. 80: 63–155.
  7. ^ Salari, L. (2019). "The Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Cava Muracci (Latium, Italy): Palaeoenvironmental implications for coastal central Italy during MIS 3". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 18 (1): 51–71. Bibcode:2019CRPal..18...51G. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2018.04.006. S2CID 135071773.
  8. ^ Rivals, Florent; Lister, Adrian M. (August 2016). "Dietary flexibility and niche partitioning of large herbivores through the Pleistocene of Britain". Quaternary Science Reviews. 146: 116–133. Bibcode:2016QSRv..146..116R. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.06.007.
  9. ^ a b c Pandolfi, Luca; Boscato, Paolo; Crezzini, Jacopo; Gatta, Maurizio; Moroni, Adriana; Rolfo, Mario; Tagliacozzo, Antonio (2017-04-13). "LATE PLEISTOCENE LAST OCCURRENCES OF THE NARROW-NOSED RHINOCEROS STEPHANORHINUS HEMITOECHUS (MAMMALIA, PERISSODACTYLA) IN ITALY". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research in Paleontology and Stratigraphy). 123: N. 2 (2017). doi:10.13130/2039-4942/8300.
  10. ^ Pandolfi, Luca; Tagliacozzo, Antonio (1 March 2015). "Stephanorhinus hemitoechus (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from the Late Pleistocene of Valle Radice (Sora, Central Italy) and re-evaluation of the morphometric variability of the species in Europe". Geobios. 48 (2): 169–191. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2015.02.002. ISSN 0016-6995. Retrieved 13 January 2024 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  11. ^ Diana Pushkina: The Pleistocene easternmost distribution in Eurasia of the species associated with the Eemian Palaeoloxodon antiquus assemblage. Mammal Review, 2007. Volume 37 Issue 3, Pages 224 - 245
  12. ^ Pokines, James T.; Lister, Adrian M.; Ames, Christopher J. H.; Nowell, April; Cordova, Carlos E. (March 2019). "Faunal remains from recent excavations at Shishan Marsh 1 (SM1), a Late Lower Paleolithic open-air site in the Azraq Basin, Jordan". Quaternary Research. 91 (2): 768–791. Bibcode:2019QuRes..91..768P. doi:10.1017/qua.2018.113. ISSN 0033-5894. S2CID 134216492.
  13. ^ 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, retrieved 2023-11-19
  14. ^ Chelli-Cheheb, Razika; Merzoug, Souhila (2023-01-02). "The Aterian site of Phacochères (northern Algeria): a zooarchaeological perspective". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 58 (1): 5–33. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2023.2187559. ISSN 0067-270X.
  15. ^ Vahdati Nasab, Hamed; Berillon, Gilles; Hashemi, Seyyed Milad; Bahain, Jean-Jacques; Sévêque, Noémie; Jayez, Mozhgan; Bonilauri, Stéphanie; Jamet, Guillaume; Kharazian, Mohammad Akhavan; Nateghi, Asghar; Abdollahi, Alieh; Antoine, Pierre; Beheshti, Iraj; Boulbes, Nicolas; Chapon-Sao, Cécile (2024-05-23). "Qaleh Kurd Cave (Qazvin, Iran): Oldest Evidence of Middle Pleistocene Hominin Occupations and a Human Deciduous Tooth in the Iranian Central Plateau". Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology. 7 (1). doi:10.1007/s41982-024-00180-4. ISSN 2520-8217.
  16. ^ Stefanelli, Dario; Mecozzi, Beniamino; Marino, Maria; Sardella, Raffaele; Breda, Marzia (2024-03-28). "The postcranial variability of Quaternary European rhinoceroses: the case study of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis from the Middle Pleistocene site of Contrada Monticelli (Apulia, southern Italy)". Historical Biology: 1–20. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2328276. ISSN 0891-2963.
  17. ^ Pushkina, Diana (July 2007). "The Pleistocene easternmost distribution in Eurasia of the species associated with the Eemian Palaeoloxodon antiquus assemblage". Mammal Review. 37 (3): 224–245. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2007.00109.x. ISSN 0305-1838.
  18. ^ Stuart, A.J., Lister, A.M., 2007. Patterns of Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions in Europe and northern Asia. In: Kahlke, R.-D., Maul, L.C., Mazza, P. (Eds.), Late Neogene and Quaternary Biodiversity and Evolution: Regional Developments and Interregional Correlations Vol. II, Proceedings of the 18th International Senckenberg Conference (VI International Palaeontological Colloquium in Weimar). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 259, pp. 287-297.
  19. ^ Sala, Nohemi; Pablos, Adrián; Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Antonio; Arriolabengoa, Martin; Alcaraz-Castaño, Manuel; Cubas, Miriam; Posth, Cosimo; Nägele, Kathrin; Pantoja-Pérez, Ana; Arlegi, Mikel; Rodríguez-Almagro, Manuel; Conde-Valverde, Mercedes; Cuenca-Bescós, Gloria; Arribas, Alfonso; Gómez-Olivencia, Asier (February 2021). "Cueva de los Torrejones revisited. New insights on the paleoecology of inland Iberia during the Late Pleistocene". Quaternary Science Reviews. 253: 106765. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106765.
  20. ^ Chen, Xi; Moigne, Anne-Marie (November 2018). "Rhinoceros ( Stephanorhinus hemitoechus ) exploitation in Level F at the Caune de l'Arago (Tautavel, Pyrénéés-Orientales, France) during MIS 12". International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. 28 (6): 669–680. doi:10.1002/oa.2682. S2CID 80923883.
  21. ^ Baquedano, Enrique; Arsuaga, Juan L.; Pérez-González, Alfredo; Laplana, César; Márquez, Belén; Huguet, Rosa; Gómez-Soler, Sandra; Villaescusa, Lucía; Galindo-Pellicena, M. Ángeles; Rodríguez, Laura; García-González, Rebeca; Ortega, M.-Cruz; Martín-Perea, David M.; Ortega, Ana I.; Hernández-Vivanco, Lucía (March 2023). "A symbolic Neanderthal accumulation of large herbivore crania". Nature Human Behaviour. 7 (3): 342–352. doi:10.1038/s41562-022-01503-7. ISSN 2397-3374. PMC 10038806. PMID 36702939.
  22. ^ Moclán, Abel; Huguet, Rosa; Márquez, Belén; Laplana, César; Galindo-Pellicena, María Ángeles; García, Nuria; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Álvarez-Lao, Diego J.; Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Pérez-González, Alfredo; Baquedano, Enrique (2021-10). "A neanderthal hunting camp in the central system of the Iberian Peninsula: A zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter (Pinilla del Valle, Spain)". Quaternary Science Reviews. 269: 107142. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107142. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Rosell, Jordi; Blasco, Ruth; Huguet, Rosa; Cáceres, Isabel; Saladié, Palmira; Rivals, Florent; Bennàsar, Maria; Bravo, Pilar; Campeny, Gerard (2012), Carbonell i Roura, Eudald (ed.), "Occupational Patterns and Subsistence Strategies in Level J of Abric Romaní", High Resolution Archaeology and Neanderthal Behavior, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 313–372, doi:10.1007/978-94-007-3922-2_8, ISBN 978-94-007-3921-5, retrieved 2024-06-14
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