Teleoceras
Encyclopedia
Teleoceras is an extinct genus
of grazing rhinoceros
that lived in North America
during the Miocene
epoch
, which ended about 5.3 million years ago, all the way to the early Pliocene
epoch.
Teleoceras had much shorter legs than modern rhinos, and a barrel chest, making its build more like that of a hippopotamus
than a modern rhino. Like the hippo, it was probably also semi-aquatic. Teleoceras had a single small nasal horn.
Teleoceras is the most common fossil in the Ashfall Fossil Beds
of Nebraska
. In fact, its remains were so numerous and concentrated that the building housing the greatest concentraion of Ashfall fossils is dubbed the "Rhino Barn". Most of the skeletons are preserved in a nearly-complete state. One extraordinary specimen includes the remains of a Teleoceras calf trying to suckle from its mother. This animal was featured in the episodes "Are Rhinos Dinos?" and "Dawn Of The Cats" of the Paleoworld
series.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of grazing rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
that lived in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
during the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
epoch
Geologic time scale
The geologic time scale provides a system of chronologic measurement relating stratigraphy to time that is used by geologists, paleontologists and other earth scientists to describe the timing and relationships between events that have occurred during the history of the Earth...
, which ended about 5.3 million years ago, all the way to the early Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
epoch.
Teleoceras had much shorter legs than modern rhinos, and a barrel chest, making its build more like that of a hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
than a modern rhino. Like the hippo, it was probably also semi-aquatic. Teleoceras had a single small nasal horn.
Ashfall Fossil Beds
The Ashfall Fossil Beds of Antelope County in northeastern Nebraska are among the rare preservation sites called lagerstätten, which preserve ecological "snapshots" from a moment in time, due to extraordinary local conditions that have preserved a range of fossilized organisms undisturbed.The...
of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. In fact, its remains were so numerous and concentrated that the building housing the greatest concentraion of Ashfall fossils is dubbed the "Rhino Barn". Most of the skeletons are preserved in a nearly-complete state. One extraordinary specimen includes the remains of a Teleoceras calf trying to suckle from its mother. This animal was featured in the episodes "Are Rhinos Dinos?" and "Dawn Of The Cats" of the Paleoworld
Paleoworld
Paleoworld was a documentary television series that was produced for The Learning Channel, and has had a total of 50 episodes. Some consider it to be the largest and most comprehensive paleontology series ever made. The series began in late September 1994 and, after 4 seasons, ended in 1997...
series.