Mammal
Aphelops fossiger
Aphelops fossigerAlso known as Barrel-chested Rhinoceros, Short-legged Rhinoceros
These barrel-chested rhinos had remarkably shortened limbs and broad torsos, giving them a silhouette strikingly similar to a modern hippopotamus. Dense herds gathered around waterholes across ancient North American savannahs, grazing heavily on gritty C4 grasses. Fossilized ash beds show adult bulls brandished enlarged lower incisor tusks, likely used in violent head-to-head clashes over territory and mates.
HerbivorePrehistoric
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHerbivorous (grasses, sedges, and floodplain shrubs)
Predators
- Machairodus
- Borophagus
- Amphicyon
ThreatsLate Miocene climatic cooling, aridification, and volcanic catastrophic events
HabitatsMiocene grasslands, savannas, and river valleys
Life span25–35 years
Classification
- FamilyRhinocerotidae
- SpeciesAphelops fossiger
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct prehistoric species known only from fossil deposits.
Responsible observation
- Museum Study: View preserved articulated skeletons and skull casts in natural history paleontology halls.
- Fossil Etiquette: Report in-situ vertebrate fossil finds to certified paleontologists without excavating them yourself.
Image unavailableCompetitor 
Ecological Analog Muhammad Mahdi Karim / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-saClose Relative 
Modern Relative Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
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