Paraceratheriidae
Paraceratheriidae | |
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Skeleton of Paraceratherium | |
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Skeleton of Juxia | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Perissodactyla |
Superfamily: | Rhinocerotoidea |
Family: | †Paraceratheriidae Osborn, 1923 |
Subgroups | |
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Synonyms[1] | |
Paraceratheriidae is an extinct family of long-limbed, hornless
Description
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Paraceratherium-Scale-Diagram-SVG-Steveoc86.svg/220px-Paraceratherium-Scale-Diagram-SVG-Steveoc86.svg.png)
The necks and limbs of paraceratheriids are elongate relative to those of living rhinoceroses.[4] The earliest paraceratheres like Juxia were comparable in size with living rhinoceroses with a body mass of three quarters to one and a half tons, while later members grew substantially larger, with the largest representatives (Paraceratherium, Dzungariotherium) estimated to have a body mass of 17 to possibly over 20 tonnes, making them the largest land mammals to have ever lived.[5][6] All non-fostercoopine paraceratheriids are united by the possession of a retracted nasal notch, a lack of contact between the premaxilla and nasal bones of the skull, enlarged upper and lower first incisors and small lower canine teeth, along with characters relating to the size and shape of the molars and premolars.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Indricotherium11.jpg/220px-Indricotherium11.jpg)
Range
Their range spanned from Eastern Europe in the west, the Indian subcontinent in the south, to Northern China in the east.[3]
Ecology
Paraceratheriids are thought to have been primarily browsers.[7]
Taxonomy
Although considered a subfamily of the family Hyracodontidae by some authors, recent authors treat the paraceratheres as a distinct family, Paraceratheriidae (Wang et al. 2016 recover hyracodonts as more basal than paraceratheres).[8][9] Some authors choose to include the small, primitive fosterocoopines (Forstercooperia, Pappaceras) within the family,[10] while they are excluded by other authors.[3]
References
- OCLC 19268080.
- ^ Wood, H.E. (1963). "A Primitive Rhinoceros from the Late Eocene of Mongolia". American Museum Novitates (2146): 1–12.
- ^ PMID 34140631.
- PMID 34100541.
- .
- S2CID 250366746.
- .
- ^ Z. Qiu and B. Wang. 2007. Paracerathere Fossils of China. Palaeontologia Sinica, New Series C 193(29):1-396
- PMID 28000789.
- ISSN 0003-0082.