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. 2021 Jun 17;4(1):639.
doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02170-6.

An Oligocene giant rhino provides insights into Paraceratherium evolution

Tao Deng  1   2   3 , Xiaokang Lu  4 , Shiqi Wang  5   6 , Lawrence J Flynn  7 , Danhui Sun  5   8 , Wen He  9 , Shanqin Chen  9
Affiliations

An Oligocene giant rhino provides insights into Paraceratherium evolution

Tao Deng et al. Commun Biol. .

Abstract

As one of the largest land mammals, the origin and evolution of the giant rhino Paraceratherium bugtiense in Pakistan have been unclear. We report a new species Paraceratherium linxiaense sp. nov. from northwestern China with an age of 26.5 Ma. Morphology and phylogeny reveal that P. linxiaense is the highly derived species of the genus Paraceratherium, and its clade with P. lepidum has a tight relationship to P. bugtiense. Based on the paleogeographical literature, P. bugtiense represents a range expansion of Paraceratherium from Central Asia via the Tibetan region. By the late Oligocene, P. lepidum and P. linxiaense were found in the north side of the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan region likely hosted some areas with low elevation, possibly under 2000 m during Oligocene, and the lineage of giant rhinos could have dispersed freely along the eastern coast of the Tethys Ocean and perhaps through some lowlands of this region.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Holotype (HMV 2006) of Paraceratherium linxiaense sp. nov.
Skull: a lateral view; b ventral view; c dorsal view; d anterior view; e occipital view. Mandible: f, h lateral view and medial view of left ramus, respectively; g occlusal view. Skull and mandible share the scale bar, but both anterior and nuchal views have an independent scale bar.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Vertebrae of Paraceratherium linxiaense.
a atlas (HMV 2006); b axis (HMV 2007); c 4th–5th articulated thoracic vertebrae (HMV 2007). 1, right view; 2, posterior view; 3, left view; 4, dorsal view; 5, anterior view; 6, ventral view; 7, postero-ventral view. The articular facets on 4th-5th thoracic vertebrae are marked with the red semitransparent outline whatever it is intact or has been damaged.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Type locality of Paraceratherium linxiaense.
Map showing the giant rhino fossil locality of the Linxia Basin in Wangjiachuan Village, Dongxiang County, Gansu Province, China.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Type horizon of Paraceratherium linxiaense.
Exposures of fluvial and lacustrine sediments of the Linxia Basin (LX 1808) at the type locality of this new species (HMV 2006, yellow square) and where the axis and thoracic vertebrae were also found in Wangjiachuan Village, Dongxiang County, Gansu Province, China.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Cenozoic section of the Linxia Basin.
Deposits with correlation to ATNTS 2012 (left) for the magnetostratigraphic results (middle) and the Wangjiachuan section bearing the fossils of Paraceratherium linxiaense sp. nov. (right).
Fig. 6
Fig. 6. Phylogenetic relationship of giant rhinos.
Correlated with the geographical and geochronological distribution, based on the single most-parsimonious tree (length 327, consistency index 0.60, and retention index 0.79, with Bremer support values nearby the node).
Fig. 7
Fig. 7. Distribution and dispersal of Paraceratherium.
Localities of the early Oligocene species were marked by the yellow color, and the red indicates the late Oligocene species. Dispersals of Paraceratherium between South Asia and other localities have to pass the Tibetan region, because most part of Central Asia, including southeastern Kazakhstan, Turpan Basin, and Tarim Basin was covered by the Tethys Ocean during the Oligocene. Paleogeography map is modified from Deep Time Maps (https://deeptimemaps.com) with license and a recent study.
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