CRANIUM 22,1 (2005) On the fossil rhinoceros Elasmotherium (including the collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences) Vladimir Zhegallo Nikolay Kalandadze Andrey Shapovalov Zoya Bessudnova Natalia Noskova Ekaterina Tesakova Summary of of the fossil rhinoceros first described This article summarizes the results of nearly 200 years study Elasmotherium, and by Gotthelf Fischer in 1808. Problems of its geographical and chronological distribution are discussed, morphological and ecological reconstructions of the species by various researchers are demonstratedand discussed. the The article also gives informationabout the original type material of G. Fischer, which originally was preserved in Natural History Museum of the Imperial Moscow University, and is presently stored in the Vernadsky State Geological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Especially the extensive work of assistant professor V.A. of Elasmotherium Teryaev of the Moscow Institute Geological Exploration on are highlighted. Samenvatting studie de fossiele neushoorn Dit artikel vat de resultaten samen van bijna twee eeuwen van van Elasmotherium, oorspronkelijk beschreven doorGotthelf Fischer in 1808. Problemen betreffende de geografische en chronologische dit worden reconstructies door diverse verspreiding van genus besproken, en morphologische en ecologische onderzoekers worden gepresenteerd en besproken. Het artikel geeft daarnaast informatie over het originele type materiaal dat bewaard werd in Museum van G. Fischer, oorspronkelijk het voor Natuurhistorie van de Keizerlijke Universiteit van Moskou, en die momenteelopgeslagen ligt in het Vernadsky Staatsmuseum voor Geologie van de Akademie Het werk assistent V.A. het Russische van Wetenschappen. uitgebreide van professor Teryaev van Moskou Instituut voor Geologisch Onderzoek over Elasmotherium krijgt bijzondere aandacht. Introduction these animals in modern and past cultures will also be mentioned. During the second half of the Pleistocene viewed the of these mammals that (presently as Neopleistocene), during One large-sized got Holocene and during historic times, many large extinct is Elasmotherium. Its extinction is usually sized mammals got extinct. Humansoften played placed in the Middle Pleistocene. Claimed of a direct or indirect role in the extinction species evidences of the animal's interactions with This article will focus the or even genera. upon humans are extremely rare and questionable. nature of the many-sided relations between However, it is believed that Elasmotherium has animals and humans. It is that the presumed been well-known to prehistoric humans as a extinction of the megafauna was to a greater potential hunting object, and is even regarded by connected with human activities of the extent hunting some as a prototype mythical unicorn. One than It be previously acknowledged. may even of the aims of this article is to present the facts considered to be not just a result, but also one of underlying such ideas. Another aim is to review the of the Pleistocene causes Late landscape revo- the scientific studies on Elasmotherium itself. lution (Zhegallo et al, 2001). In order to review The ideafor this article original was developed by previous morphological and autecological recon- V. Zhegallo and N. Kalandadze, the main text and for the of structions purpose an extensive was prepared by N. Kalandadze, A. Shapovalov analysis of the nature of the interrelations and E. Tesakova, the sections on Elasmotherium between humans and animals, we use as much remains from the collections of the SGM RAS data as possible, obtained by archaeological and (Vernadsky State Geological Museum of the prehistorical art studies, in addition to the tradi- Russian Academy of Sciences, hereafter referred tional palaeontological information. As far as to as SGM RAS) were written by Z. Bessudnova animals which got extinct in historical times are and N. Noskova, and the section "On the history concerned, we also use photographs, drawings, of Elasmotheriinae" was written by V. Zhegallo. descriptions by contemporaries etc. The role of 17 On the fossil rhinoceros Elasmotherium (including the collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences) the collection was lost and the remaining mandible of Elasmotherium was only protected and saved due to its evacuation to the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Much later, in the middle of the 20th century, it was transferred to the Palae- ontological Institute of the Academy of Sciences in The exact of the of the USSR Moscow. age mandible and place of its origin are unknown. The specimen is kept in the collection of the Insti- of fossil tute among other remains Quaternary vertebrates, of which the exact data of location of the findings are all lost. Elasmotherium is derived from The genus name the Greek words elasmos - lamina - and therion - mammal and relates to the laminated folding of the tooth enamel, which is a characteristic of this The sibiricum genus. species name was usually explained by the fact that the major part of prin- Fig 1 Discoverer of theElasmotherium , Johann cess Dashkova's collection originated from field After Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim (1771-1853). trips to Siberia. However, it should be noted that Shchurovsky (1871) the border of "Siberia" at that time was consi- Gotthelf De ontdekker van Elasmotherium, Johann Fi- deredto run along the left bank of the river Volga, Naar scher von Waldheim (1771-1853). Shchurovsky thus placing areas leftward of the Volga and the (1871) Ural region into "Siberia". It is also interesting to note that between the year 1808, when the specimen was described by Dr the Elasmotherium On genus Fischer, and 1864, when Dr Johann Friedrich Fischer, 1808 Brandt this animal in his the figured paper, type The Elasmotherium 1808 is lost its second molar. Most genus Fischer, placed specimen apparently Fischer within the Order Perissodactyla OWEN, 1848, likely it was the tooth that on purpose family RhinocerotidaeGRAY, 1821. Later, in 1877 extracted from the mandible and depicted in a in his The fate of the J.F. Brandt moved this genus into a separate plate paper. subsequent subfamily: the Elasmotheriinae. Recently, specimen is unknown. McKenna & Bell (1997) considered the species Elasmotherium Junior synonyms of the genus are Elasmotherium to be closer to the modern and the Stereoceros Duvernoy, 1855 and Enigmatherium wooly rhinoceroses, and placed them all in one 1916. The derived Pavlova, genus Stereoceros, subtribe, the Rhinocerotina. from the Greek stereos - bodily, solid, volumetric - The of the Elasmotherium sibi- and - horn defined on the basis of the type species genus, ceros was of theanimal's skull. These remains ricum Fischer, 1809 was described by Gotthelf occipital part Fischer, professor at the Moscow University and were difficult to compare with the type material director of the University's Natural History of Fischer. Nevertheless, the Darmstadt resear- Museum at that time (fig. 1). The species was cher Johann Kaup suggested the remains to four molars to the Elasmotherium based on the left hemimandiblewith belong genus (Kaup, 1840). used the and an alveolus for the third premolar. In a note, Even though he only published Fischer for the of the skull from the Rhine and the (1808) suggested as genus name drawings had brilliant fossil animalElasmotherium and as species name mandible from Moscow, he a most Brandt could thesenames were a after for his view, and sibiricum; published year argumentation J.F. with his conclusions 1864; (Fischer, 1809). The specimen originated fromthe not but agree (Brandt, "Cabinet of Natural History and Other Rarities" see also Anonymous, 1865). that was gifted to the Moscow University by the The specimen originated from the collection of former President of the Russian Academy of the Austrian naturalist F.J. Gall. The location of Sciences, princess Ekaterina Dashkova in 1807. those remains is thought to be the sediments of During the Patriotic war of 1812 the of major part the the Rhine valley. Later, remains were 18 CRANIUM 22,1 (2005) Elasmothe- acquired by the Natural History MuseumElasmo-in and E. peii Chow, 1958 (Pei's of teeth and bones of Paris, where the skull was examined by rium). Abundant findings the cranial and skeleton Duvernoy, who published the results of his post-cranial originate sediments studies in 1855 and suggested the scientific name from the Early and MiddlePleistocene of Ukraine, the of Stereoceros galli for the new "would-be pachy- of the European part Russia, In the number of Urals, Western Siberia, Transbaikalia eastern derm". subsequent years (the and findings of Elasmotherium remains increased part of Lake Baikal region), Kazakhstan and the Late Pleistocene of significantly. After the study of an almost Central Asian states, complete skull of Elasmotherium found in the the European part of Russia. E. caucasicum from Northern Lower Volga river region by Alexander the Late Éopleistocene of Ukraine and teeth. E. Knoblokh, Brandt (J.F. Brandt, 1878) was able to Caucasus is knownpredominantly by its confirm the assumptions suggested earlier by peii of the Late Pliocene of Ukraine (Shvyreva, Kaup. The other junior synonym, Enigmatherium, IS derived from the Greek enigma - riddle and therion - mammal. It arose out of a misunderstan- ding. The "Enigmatic Mammal" was described by Pavlova (1916) on the basis of a single tooth from Pleistocene sediments of the Northern Caucasus. While being described, the tooth was that resulted in positioned in a wrong perspective of the elements