Iranotherium

Ih-ran-o-fee-ree-um.
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Maeve Foster

Paleoclimatologist

Maeve Foster explores the Earth's climatic past to understand the forces that shaped life on our planet. Her research into ancient climate events provides valuable context for current environmental challenges.

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Name

Iranotherium ‭(‬Iran beast‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ih-ran-o-fee-ree-um.

Named By

Ringstr�m‭ ‬-‭ ‬1924.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Perissodactyla,‭ ‬Rhinocerotidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

I.‭ ‬morgani

Size

Between‭ ‬3-4‭ ‬meters long.‭ ‬Males larger than females.

Known locations

China and Iran.

Time Period

Miocene.

Fossil representation

Skulls and post cranial remains of several individuals.

In Depth

       Iranotherium was a genus of rhinoceros that was once fairly widespread across central Asia.‭ ‬Individuals of Iranotherium were between three and four meters long,‭ ‬though as with other known kinds of rhinoceroses,‭ ‬the males would have been larger than females.‭ ‬The largest males could approach sizes up to four meters long.‭ ‬The disappearance of Iranotherium coincides with the rise of the genus Sinotherium,‭ ‬indicating that Sinotherium may have evolved from Iranotherium,‭ ‬and/or outcompeted the earlier genus.‭ ‬The Sinotherium genus is believed to eventually give rise to the better known Elasmotherium.

Further Reading

– New discovery of Iranotherium morgani (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) from the late Miocene of the Linxia Basin in Gansu, China, and its sexual dimorphism. – Journal of vertebrate Paleontology, 25(2), 442–450. – T. Deng – 2005. -‭ ‬Neogene Rhinoceroses of the Lingxia Basin‭ (‬Gansu,‭ ‬China‭) ‬Cour.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Tado Deng‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

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