Menoceras
Sign in to saveMenoceras ("Crescent Horns") is a genus of extinct, small rhinocerotids endemic to most of southern North America and ranged as far south as Panama during the early Miocene epoch. It lived from around 23.1-12.5 Ma, existing for approximately .
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Description
- Paleobiology
- Taxonomy
- Fossil distribution
- Notes
- References
Menoceras ("Crescent Horns") is a genus of extinct, small rhinocerotids endemic to most of southern North America and ranged as far south as Panama during the early Miocene epoch. It lived from around 23.1-12.5 Ma, existing for approximately .
==Description== Menoceras was much smaller than any living rhinoceros, with the genus being compared in size to a sheep or a pig, an with estimated bodymass of . Male Menoceras sported two horns side by side at the tip of the nose, whereas the females were hornless or had greatly reduced horns, and have differently shaped nasal bones. Menoceras along with Diceratherium is unique in having paired horns among rhinocerotids. Both sexes of Menoceros grew to a length of long.