Sumatran rhinoceroses Dicerorhinus sumatrensis at Cincinnati Zoo, copyright Charles W. Hardin.
Belongs within: Ceratomorpha.
The Rhinocerotidae, rhinoceroses, are a group of large, heavy-bodied ungulates with living species in Africa and tropical Asia, though fossil representatives have a broader distribution in Eurasia and North America. Members of this group have more or less well-developed keratinous horns;
Diceros,
Ceratotherium and
Dicerorhinus have one horn on the snout and one above the eyes whereas species of
Rhinoceros possess the nose horn only.
Characters (from
Animal Diversity Web): Body massive; skin thick, scantily-haired and wrinkled, furrowed or pleated, producing appearance of riveted armor plates in some species. Head large with one or two dermal horns composed of compressed, fibrous keratin; eyes small; ears fairly short but prominent and erect. Skull elongate, elevated posteriorly. Braincase small; nasal bones projecting forward freely, may extend beyond and above premaxillae; surface of nasals roughened beneath horns; occipital crest strongly developed. 24-34 teeth present, dental formula 1-2/0-1, 0/1-1, 3-4/3-4, 3/3; canines and incisors vestigial except for sometimes lower incisors which may be developed into powerful slashing tusks; cheek teeth with prominent transverse lophs of enamel. Chest broad; legs short, stumpy legs. Radius/ulna and tibia/fibula only slightly moveable but well-developed and separate. Fore- and hind feet mesaxonic with 3 digits each; each digit with a small hoof. Tail with stiff bristles.
<==Rhinocerotidae [Rhinocerotoidea]
|--Diceros Gray 1821 FS15, H78
| |--D. bicornis H78
| | |--D. b. bicornis R86
| | |--D. b. brucii R86
| | `--D. b. michaeli R86
| |--D. douariensis H78
| `--D. pachygnathus H78
`--+--Ceratotherium Gray 1867 FS15, H78
| |--C. praecox Hooijer & Patterson 1972 H78
| `--C. simum H78
| |--C. s. simum H78
| |--C. s. cottoni BP87
| `--C. s. germanoafricanum H78
`--+--Rhinoceros Linnaeus 1758 FS15, L58
| |--R. bicornis Linnaeus 1758 L58
| |--R. indicus C77
| |--R. sondaicus SM06
| | |--R. s. sondaicus SM06
| | `--R. s. annamiticus Heude 1892 SM06
| `--R. unicornis Linnaeus 1758 L58
`--+--Dicerorhinus Gloger 1841 FS15, H78
| |--D. africanus Arambourg 1970 H78
| |--D. leakeyi Hooijer 1966 H78
| |--D. merckii FP64
| |--D. primaevus Arambourg 1959 H78
| |--D. ringstromi DW04
| |--D. sansaniensis H78
| |--D. schleiermacheri H78
| |--D. sumatrensis H78
| `--D. tagicus H78
`--+--Coelodonta Blumenbach 1807 FS15, D07
| |--C. antiquitatis FS15
| `--C. nihowanensis DW04
`--Stephanorhinus FS15
|--S. etruscus [=Rhinoceros etruscus, Dicerorhinus etruscus] ME05
| |--S. e. etruscus ME05
| `--‘Dicerorhinus’ e. brachycephalus ME05
|--S. hemitoechus FS15
|--S. hundsheimensis ME05
`--S. kirchbergensis FS15
Rhinocerotidae incertae sedis:
Allacerops DW04
Chilotherium H78
|--C. anderssoni DW04
|--C. palaeosinense CS04
`--C. wimani DW04
Tichorhinus antiquitates B61
Trigonias Lucas 1900 D07
|--T. osborni D07
|--T. wellsi D07
`--T. yoderensis D07
Chilotheridium Hooijer 1971 H78
`--*C. pattersoni Hooijer 1971 H78
Aceratherium Kaup 1832 H78
|--A. acutirostratum (Deraniyagala 1951) [=Turkanatherium acutirostratus] H78
|--A. incisivum H78
|--A. lemanense H78
`--A. occidentale C77
Brachypotherium Roger 1904 H78
|--B. aurelianense (Nouel 1866) [=Rhinoceros aurelianensis, Teleoceras aurelianense] H78
|--B. brachypus H78
|--B. goldfussi H78
|--B. heinzelini Hooijer 1963 H78
|--B. lewisi Hooijer & Patterson 1972 H78
|--B. perimense CS04
|--B. snowi (Fourtau 1920) [=Teleoceras snowi] H78
`--B. stehlini Viret 1961 H78
0--Aphelops Cope 1873 H78, C77
| |--A. crassus [=Rhinocerus crassus] C77
| |--A. jemezanus Cope 1877 C77
| |--A. megalodus C77
| `--A. meridianus [=Rhinocerus meridianus] C77
`--Teleoceras Hatcher 1894 H78
|--T. fossiger D07
|--T. guymonense D07
|--T. hicksi D07
|--T. major D07
|--T. medicornutum H78
|--T. meridianum D07
`--T. proterum D07
Paradiceros Hooijer 1968 H78
`--P. mukirii Hooijer 1968 H78
Hyrachyus Leidy 1870 HUG17, D07 [Hyrachyidae]
|--H. asiaticus D07
|--H. eximius D07
|--H. modestus D07
`--H. singularis Cope 1875 C77
Inorganic: Rhinoceros unicornis protominilorientalis Okamura 1987 O87
*Type species of generic name indicated
REFERENCES
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[C77] Cope, E. D. 1877. Report upon the extinct Vertebrata obtained in New Mexico by parties of the expedition of 1874.
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[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758.
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[ME05] Moullé, P.-E., A. Echassoux, F. Lacombat, E. Desclaux & S. Bailon. 2005. L’environnement animal des premiers habitants de l’Europe méditerranéenne: les grands mammifères contemporains de l’homme du Vallonnet, données taxonomiques et biostratigraphiques pour la deuxième moitie du Pléistocène inférieur.
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[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts:
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[R86] Ryder, O. A. 1986. Species conservation and systematics: the dilemma of subspecies.
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Last updated: 31 July 2018.