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Author Topic:   New Fossils Found for African Mammals
Rrhain
Member
Posts: 6351
From: San Diego, CA, USA
Joined: 05-03-2003


Message 1 of 2 (71025)
12-04-2003 4:08 PM


In a recent find, new transitional fossils have been found giving more information in the evolution of African mammals. New species of arsinoithere have been found showing that the species survived longer than previously thought and lending credence to theories that it was the ancestor of animals like the rhinoceros.
Fossils bridge an evolutionary gap
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Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

  
lpetrich
Inactive Member


Message 2 of 2 (71129)
12-05-2003 3:35 AM


Interesting. Here's another article.
Among the finds were some proboscideans, including some early gomphotheres about the size of a domestic bovine (not much bigger than Moeritherium), and some deinotheres. Gomphotherium had both upper-jaw and lower-jaw tusks, and Deinotherium had downward-pointing lower tusks(!).
Interestingly, Moeritherium itself had enlarged second incisors -- the beginnings of tusks.
And as to Deinotherium, a reasonable intermediate is forward-pointing lower tusks; has any such intermediate been found?
An odder beast found there is Arsinoitherium, which looks like a rhinoceros with two side-by-side front horns. Judging from Africa's isolation during the earlier part of the Cenozoic, Arsinoitherium would have to be an afrotherian, but beyond that it's difficult to work out what its closest relatives were.
Arsinoitherium seems like a case of convergence on rhinoceros-like form; Uintatherium and Titanotherium also converged onto that form, meaning that rhinoishness had been invented at least four times.

  
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