Discovery of the skull ofStephanorhinus kirchbergensis(Jäger, 1839) above the Arctic Circle

Abstract

The skull of the extinct rhinocerosStephanorhinus kirchbergensis(Jäger, 1839) was discovered in the Chondon River valley (Arctic Yakutia, Russia) during the summer of 2014. This is the first find ofStephanorhinusabove the Arctic Circle, expanding significantly the known geographic range of the genus.14C dating and geologic evidence indicate that the skull dates to between 48,000 and 70,000 yr, corresponding to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 4/3. It is thus among the latest records of this species. To explore the evolutionary and natural history of this relatively unknown animal, we performed morphological, dietary, and genetic analyses. Phylogenetic inference based on a complete mitochondrial genome sequence confirms the systematic placement ofStephanorhinusas most closely related to the extinct woolly rhinoceros,Coelodonta. Food remains in the fossas of the cheek teeth, identified asLarix,Vaccinium,Betulasp.,Aulacomnium, and dicotyledonous herbs and grasses, suggest a mixed feeder’s diet. Microwear analysis suggests that, during the last months of its life, this individual fed predominantly on leaves and twigs. The habitat ofStephanorhinuscomprised grassland and open woodland that were characterized by moist and cold climate conditions, similar to those in the region today.

Browsers, grazers or mix-feeders? Study of the diet of extinct Pleistocene Eurasian forest rhinoceros Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis (Jäger, 1839) and woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799)

“…S. kirchbergensis, when it had the opportunity, eagerly fed on soft aquatic or riparian vegetation as evidenced by the presence of such taxa in the diet of specimens from Neumark Nord, Spinadesco and Gorzów Wielkopolski (Table S5). The specimen from Chondon, living probably in more severe conditions of MIS3, used the low-growing vegetation to a greater extent than specimens from European sites, due to the vegetation available there (Kirillova et al, 2017), which showed that this species had a mixed diet depending on the climate zone and the growing season.…”

A Model for Dental Age Verification Using Ultrastructural Imaging for Modern and Fossil Representatives of the Rhinocerotidae Family

“…In turn, the first premolar was recommended for age analyses in black bear Ursus americanus [46]. First molars were preferred for ultrastructural analyses also in the case of representatives of the order of Perissodactyla in extinct rhinoceros Stephanorinus kirchbergensis [47] as well as in the modern white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum [48]; in the case of fossil and present-day Equus caballus representatives, different cheek teeth (first and second molars, third and fourth premolars) were preferred [49]. In Bos taurus cattle, first molar was examined in this respect [50], also in bison Bison bison [51], and in another representative of the Artiodactyla order-sheep Ovis aries-incisors were targeted [52].…”

Early Pleistocene enamel proteome sequences from Dmanisi resolve Stephanorhinus phylogeny

“…specimen, ˜320 ka (thousand years) old, was not able to resolve the relationships between Stephanorhinus, Coelodonta and Dicerorhinus 6 . Instead, the complete mitochondrial sequence of a terminal, 45-70 ka old, Siberian S. kirchbergensis specimen placed this species closer to Coelodonta , with D. sumatrensis as a sister branch 7 . Our results confirm the latter reconstruction.…”

“…In the absence of molecular evidence, the speciation of several Early and Middle Pleistocene extinct species remain contentious. In this study, we address the phylogenetic relationships of the Eurasian Pleistocene Rhinocerotidae 5-7 using ˜1.77 million years (Ma) old dental enamel proteome sequences of a Stephanorhinus specimen from the Dmanisi archaeological site in Georgia (South Caucasus) 8 . Molecular phylogenetic analyses place the Dmanisi Stephanorhinus as a sister group to the woolly ( Coelodonta antiquitatis ) and Merck’s rhinoceros ( S. kirchbergensis ) clade.…”