Abstract

As one of the largest land mammals, the origin and evolution of the giant rhino Paraceratherium bugtiense in Pakistan have been unclear. We report a new species Paraceratherium linxiaense sp. nov. from northwestern China with an age of 26.5 Ma. Morphology and phylogeny reveal that P. linxiaense is the highly derived species of the genus Paraceratherium, and its clade with P. lepidum has a tight relationship to P. bugtiense. Based on the paleogeographical literature, P. bugtiense represents a range expansion of Paraceratherium from Central Asia via the Tibetan region. By the late Oligocene, P. lepidum and P. linxiaense were found in the north side of the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan region likely hosted some areas with low elevation, possibly under 2000 m during Oligocene, and the lineage of giant rhinos could have dispersed freely along the eastern coast of the Tethys Ocean and perhaps through some lowlands of this region.

Deng et al. report a new species of giant rhino, Paraceratherium linxiaense, from specimens of the upper Oligocene Jiaozigou Formation in China with an age of 26.5 Ma. Morphological analysis of the completely preserved skull with articulated mandible and atlas reveals a high level of specialization and the formation of a clade with P. lepidum with close ties to P. bugtiense.

Details

Title
An Oligocene giant rhino provides insights into Paraceratherium evolution
Author
Deng Tao 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lu Xiaokang 2 ; Wang, Shiqi 3 ; Flynn, Lawrence J 4 ; Sun Danhui 5 ; He, Wen 6 ; Chen, Shanqin 6 

1  Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.9227.e) (ISNI:0000000119573309); CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.9227.e) (ISNI:0000000119573309); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.410726.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1797 8419) 
2  Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China (GRID:grid.256922.8) (ISNI:0000 0000 9139 560X) 
3  Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.9227.e) (ISNI:0000000119573309); CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.9227.e) (ISNI:0000000119573309) 
4  Harvard University, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Cambridge, USA (GRID:grid.38142.3c) (ISNI:000000041936754X) 
5  Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.9227.e) (ISNI:0000000119573309); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.410726.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1797 8419) 
6  Hezheng Paleozoological Museum, Hezheng, China (GRID:grid.410726.6) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
23993642
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02170-6
ProQuest document ID
2542127731
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.