Brontops
From Paleos
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Fossil_range: Late Eocene |
Brontops ('thunder face') was an extinct genus of rhinoceros-like perissodactyl mammal.
Brontops was a huge rhinoceros-like creature standing about 2.5 meters tall at the shoulder (a little over 8 feet). It looked similar to the better known Brontotherium, differing in possessing a pair of knob-shaped, horn-like protrusions on its snout, instead of the typical slingshot-shaped horns of Brontotherium.
Some authorities consider Brontops and Brontotherium to be sister genera, while a few place the species of Brontops within Brontotherium. According to Mihlbachler et. al. 2005, Brontops was reassigned to the genus Megacerops.
Partially healed rib fractures support the theory that males used these 'horns' to fight each other. No creature living in Brontops's time and area except another Brontops could have inflicted such an injury. The breathing movements prevented the fractures from completely healing.
Links
Reconstruction of B. dispar [1]
