A new discovery in the permafrost of Yakutia sheds light on the nasal horn morphology of the woolly rhinoceros.

Autor: Belyaev RI; Diamond and Precious Metals Geology Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia.; A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia., Boeskorov GG; Diamond and Precious Metals Geology Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia.; Institute of Natural Sciences, M. K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russia., Cheprasov MY; P. A. Lazarev Mammoth Museum, M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russia., Prilepskaya NE; Diamond and Precious Metals Geology Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia.; A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of morphology [J Morphol] 2023 Sep; Vol. 284 (9), pp. e21626.
DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21626
Abstrakt: Extinct woolly rhinoceroses were iconic representatives of the Late Pleistocene mammoth fauna of Eurasia. These animals were characterized by two huge keratinous horns. In adults, the length of the nasal horn often exceeded one meter. The nasal horn of Coelodonta was characterized by an unusual feature for rhinoceroses-the width of its base was considerably narrower than the width of the rugosity area on the nasal bones of the skull. In this study, a new discovery of woolly rhinoceros' nasal horn in the permafrost of Yakutia is described. This specimen shows that the shape of the base of the woolly rhino's nasal horn corresponds well to the shape (length and width) of the nasal rugosity area. The base of the nasal horn of Coelodonta was markedly elongated anteroposteriorly compared to extant rhinoceroses. Its length was about 150% of the width. We therefore suggest that the narrower shape of the nasal horn base in the majority of previously found specimens was associated with secondary damage after burial caused by maceration.
(© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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