''Aceratherium'' (Greek: "without (a) horn" (keratos), "beast" (therion)) is an extinct genus of

rhinocerotid A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Aceratheriinae Aceratheriinae is an extinct subfamily of rhinoceros endemic to Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America, from the Oligocene through the Pliocene. It lived from 33.9 to 3.4 mya, existing for approximately . Taxonomy Aceratheriinae was named by D ...

that lived in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Taxonomy

''Aceratherium'' was coined by Kaup (1832) for ''"Rhinoceros" incisivum'' Cuvier, 1822 on the basis of the similarity of two skulls from Eppelsheim, Germany to the holotype incisor tooth from Weisenau in dental structure. However, the tooth from Weisenau has been recognized as belonging to a member of Teleoceratini, although the name ''Aceratherium'' has been widely used for the Eppelsheim skulls. Traditionally, many species have been referred to ''Aceratherium'' on the basis of them being hornless, turning the genus into a wastebasket. Revisions over the years have removed most species to the point that there are now only three valid species generally recognized (''A. incisivum'', ''A. depereti'', and ''A. porpani'').

Description

''Aceratherium'' reached in length, a height of about and a weight of nearly 1

ton Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean: * the '' long ton'', which is * the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...

. Its brachyodont dentition suggests it was a browser which fed on leaves and soft vegetables, though more recent analyses suggest that ''A. incisivum'' was actually a grazer. It had fairly long limbs compared to other Aceratheriinae, and was proportioned similar to a

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Centr ...

. Males had tusk-like incisors that were much larger than those of the females.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q141276 Miocene rhinoceroses Miocene mammals of Asia Miocene mammals of Europe Cenozoic animals of Asia Cenozoic mammals of Europe Miocene genus extinctions Fossil taxa described in 1832