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Rhinoceros Giants: The Paleobiology of Indricotheres
Written for everyone fascinated by the huge beasts that once roamed the earth, this book introduces the giant hornless rhinoceros, Indricotherium. These massive animals inhabited Asia and Eurasia for more than 14 million years, about 37 to 23 million years ago. They had skulls 6 feet long, stood 22 feet high at the shoulder, and were twice as heavy as the largest elephant ever recorded, tipping the scales at 44,100 pounds. Fortunately, the big brutes were vegetarians. Donald R. Prothero tells their story, from their discovery just a century ago to the latest research on how they lived and died.
158 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Donald R. Prothero
54 books147 followersDonald R. Prothero is a Professor of Geology at Occidental College and Lecturer in Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology. He teaches Physical and Historical Geology, Sedimentary Geology, and Paleontology. His specialties are mammalian paleontology and magnetic stratigraphy of the Cenozoic. His current research focuses on the dating of the climatic changes that occurred between 30 and 40 million years ago, using the technique of magnetic stratigraphy. Dr. Prothero has been a Guggenheim and NSF Fellow, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, and in 1991 received the Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society for outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40, the same award won by the renowned paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. He has authored or co-edited numerous books, including Horns, Tusks, Hooves and Flippers: The Evolution of Hoofed Mammals, the best-selling textbook from McGraw-Hill, Evolution of the Earth, Evolution: What the Fossils Say & Why it Matters, Bringing Fossils to Life, After the Dinosaurs, and the textbook Sedimentary Geology. He is also a Technical Editor of the Journal of Paleontology.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 22, 2024
This book represents something of a debunking of the creature formerly known as "Baluchitherium," as it seems inevitable that the supposed largest land mammal that ever lived would generate a mythology that would be hard to dismantle in the wake of its earlier popularization. Among other points, it's noted that these creatures went extinct rather earlier than one time thought, that the arid environment where they lived wasn't kind in terms of preserving fossils, which contributed to serious over-estimates of the size these creatures attained, and it doesn't help that the localities where their fossils are found are not exactly friendly to foreign scientists. As for why they went extinct the current suggestion is that the emergence of early mastodons so changed the shared environment that these creatures were undermined and faded away. Also, I'm inclined to agree with those reviewers that this book could have been better edited.
Originally written: May 16, 2018.
Originally written: May 16, 2018.
April 28, 2023
I really would rather have rated this book a 3.5, since 3 felt too low. But 4 definitely feels too high. I didn't dislike this book, but I had some problems with its structure. I just feel like the book lacks focus, and spends too little time on the indricotheres themselves. There are lengthy discussions of climatic changes during the Eocene to Oligocene transition, and detailed descriptions of the floras and faunas of places like Europe and North America where indricotheres did not live. These passages were well written, and I can even understand why they might be included to give some context to the world in which the indricotheres lived, but I think they should have been shorter, and the passages describing the actual science of indricotheres could have been longer, and thus a greater proportion of the book's length.
Granted, the stuff about the evolution, anatomy, palaeoecology, and physiology of the indricotheres is all great. It is clearly written and easy to understand. Prothero details the exceptionally fascinating nature of the indricotheres, which included the largest land mammals of all time, in a highly engaging manner. However, I didn't like the way that Prothero sometimes uses leading language when discussing hypotheses about the lifestyle of indricotheres, saying things like they "must have lived in herds" or something to that effect when in reality it can't be known for certain. With the exception of that and the claims of indricotheres having giant elephant-like ears (which I feel is actually not that plausible given the lack of this feature in living rhinos and other palaeontologists who disagree), these parts are great. As well, the chapters dealing with the research history of indricotheres are excellent, very engaging and colourful. Prothero does an excellent job of bringing the scientists who discovered indricotheres to life.
Overall, this is a good book, but not an excellent one. That being said, I doubt there is a better book intended for general readers that covers the science of indricotheres specifically. If you want to know more about an incredibly niche (but incredibly fascinating) topic, this concise and highly readable book is the best option there is.
Granted, the stuff about the evolution, anatomy, palaeoecology, and physiology of the indricotheres is all great. It is clearly written and easy to understand. Prothero details the exceptionally fascinating nature of the indricotheres, which included the largest land mammals of all time, in a highly engaging manner. However, I didn't like the way that Prothero sometimes uses leading language when discussing hypotheses about the lifestyle of indricotheres, saying things like they "must have lived in herds" or something to that effect when in reality it can't be known for certain. With the exception of that and the claims of indricotheres having giant elephant-like ears (which I feel is actually not that plausible given the lack of this feature in living rhinos and other palaeontologists who disagree), these parts are great. As well, the chapters dealing with the research history of indricotheres are excellent, very engaging and colourful. Prothero does an excellent job of bringing the scientists who discovered indricotheres to life.
Overall, this is a good book, but not an excellent one. That being said, I doubt there is a better book intended for general readers that covers the science of indricotheres specifically. If you want to know more about an incredibly niche (but incredibly fascinating) topic, this concise and highly readable book is the best option there is.
August 29, 2017
The giant indricothere rhinoceroses - also known by various other names such as Baluchitherium and Paraceratherium - were, at the time this was written, thought to be the largest land mammals that ever lived. More recently, an extinct elephant has claimed that crown, although, frankly, there's not much difference, and it's pretty hard to judge these things accurately anyway.
The book deals thoroughly with the animals, and what we know of them, but it turns out that we don't really know all that much, compared with what we know of say, sabretooths or mammoths. Without a wide range of different creatures to cover, the book arguably includes a fair amount of off-topic padding to fill the (fairly short) page count. It's also not always very well written, with the section on how the animals were discovered, for instance, wandering about in a non-chronological fashion.
Nor does it seem to know whether it's being written for a lay or a technical audience; obscure terms are often helpfully explained, but not always, and at times the book wanders into rather tedious minutiae. The tone is, for the most part, dry, but even here, it's inconsistent, showing occasional bursts of more evocative or chatty prose.
Having said all of this, the information in here is good, and about as thorough as one could hope. I'm really not sure who this is aimed at, and I'm also left with the impression that it may be an overly narrow topic for an entire book, even a short one. So it's hard to recommend to anyone who doesn't have a real interest in these specific animals.
The book deals thoroughly with the animals, and what we know of them, but it turns out that we don't really know all that much, compared with what we know of say, sabretooths or mammoths. Without a wide range of different creatures to cover, the book arguably includes a fair amount of off-topic padding to fill the (fairly short) page count. It's also not always very well written, with the section on how the animals were discovered, for instance, wandering about in a non-chronological fashion.
Nor does it seem to know whether it's being written for a lay or a technical audience; obscure terms are often helpfully explained, but not always, and at times the book wanders into rather tedious minutiae. The tone is, for the most part, dry, but even here, it's inconsistent, showing occasional bursts of more evocative or chatty prose.
Having said all of this, the information in here is good, and about as thorough as one could hope. I'm really not sure who this is aimed at, and I'm also left with the impression that it may be an overly narrow topic for an entire book, even a short one. So it's hard to recommend to anyone who doesn't have a real interest in these specific animals.
June 24, 2019
Interesting and thorough overview of ancient rhinoceroses, starting from the biographies of all the fossil hunters who dug up ancient rhino bones to rhino evolution, location, habitat, and speculation of their eventual demise. I found the 3 chapters dealing with the fossil hunter biography tedious, but the rhino portions of the book were interesting, if a bit bland. Sketches and an extensive bibliography are present.
December 26, 2020
I needed a break from reading for school over the holidays so I brought two paleontology books home with me to read for fun. I first saw a photo of a life-sized fiberglass model of an Indricothere several years ago that peaked my interest. I am a big fan of Dr. Prothero. I've read several of his books before and they are excellent. Great book!
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August 18, 2021Splits the difference between experts and amateurs who are curious about the science behind "Walking with Prehistoric Beasts."
July 11, 2023
Everything Prothero writes is amazing.
June 5, 2024
A quick and easy read for anyone interested in this very niche topic.
December 29, 2023
Allright so as someone who has a general enjoyment of the coverage of extinct groups, particularly those that are more obscure than the frankly overappreciated dinosaurs and Iceage giants this book was perfect for me. This book really is perhaps the most detailed yet also accessible book on this specific group of animals.
It discusses not only in amazing detail the biology of these animals but also their ecology, evolutionary history, diversity, a broader yet brief coverage of the overall evolution of rhinos (A topic frankly worthy of its own book), and the many potential reasons for their extinctions. It also goes into a rather robust level of detail on the history of the group's study which may well be somewhat dense or boring for those not interested in the group, and some sections can be a bit dry and over technical. Which can lead to a hard read for those lacking some knowledge.
Overall it's not a perfect book but well worth the purchase to learn more about this obscure group of extinct animals.
It discusses not only in amazing detail the biology of these animals but also their ecology, evolutionary history, diversity, a broader yet brief coverage of the overall evolution of rhinos (A topic frankly worthy of its own book), and the many potential reasons for their extinctions. It also goes into a rather robust level of detail on the history of the group's study which may well be somewhat dense or boring for those not interested in the group, and some sections can be a bit dry and over technical. Which can lead to a hard read for those lacking some knowledge.
Overall it's not a perfect book but well worth the purchase to learn more about this obscure group of extinct animals.
August 31, 2015
This book starts with the history of Indricothere discovery, and the individuals who did the field work and subsequent analysis. The discoveries in Pakistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Turkey are described with excellent information on the geological formations and other fossils found in the same strata.
Prothero describes the characteristics that identify indricotheres, particularly the L-shaped molars. The rhino horn, made of dense keratin fibers, is only found on a few species. Indricotheres radiated from the small Hyrachyus about 55 mya in the Eocene. Three main groups formed, two of which died out about 20 mya in the Oligocene. The groups differ in the arrangement of the front teeth, the rhinocerotids having chisel-shaped upper teeth and tusks on the bottom.
A side excursion examining systemics and the naming of species becomes important to the convoluted history of the naming of indricothere specimens. Most of the many Oligocene indricothere taxa are now considered to be the single genus Paraceratherium, consisting of four species. Another genus, Dzungaritherium, contains a single species.
The construction of a indricothere is examined, concentrating on Paraceratherium. The skull is immense, one of the better specimens being 1.3 m. in length, and featuring the large tusks at the front of the mouth. The thickening of the leg bones, common in heavy animals, results in a 1.5 m. femur and even the primary foot bone is 50 cm, Estimates of the weights of the largest indricotheres are currently 13 - 20 tonnes, while proboscideans of that time come in a around 10 tonnes.
A section on constraints due to body size describes the problem that large animals have in cooling, suggesting that indricotheres may have had large ears for this purpose, as do elephants. Hindgut fermenters are relatively inefficient and so they likely ate huge quantities of vegetation, leaving much undigested in their feces.
The climate changed significantly over the period that indricotheres were prominent. During the early Eocene (55 mya) the climate in the Arctic was subtropical and frequently quite moist. By the early Oligocene, the climate was much cooler and drier. The resulting differences between the Eocene and Oligocene faunas has been called La Grande Coupure (the great cutoff). The transition favored herbivores feeding on the mixed vegetation of drier climates, but with fewer arboreal species such as primates. The transition seem to have occurred in the early Oligocene.
The book finishes by reviewing the current ideas as to what led to the demise of the larger indricotheres. Theories include competition (in terms of habitat destruction) from animals of the elephant family, and the appearance of huge predatory hyaenodonts from Africa.
Prothero describes the characteristics that identify indricotheres, particularly the L-shaped molars. The rhino horn, made of dense keratin fibers, is only found on a few species. Indricotheres radiated from the small Hyrachyus about 55 mya in the Eocene. Three main groups formed, two of which died out about 20 mya in the Oligocene. The groups differ in the arrangement of the front teeth, the rhinocerotids having chisel-shaped upper teeth and tusks on the bottom.
A side excursion examining systemics and the naming of species becomes important to the convoluted history of the naming of indricothere specimens. Most of the many Oligocene indricothere taxa are now considered to be the single genus Paraceratherium, consisting of four species. Another genus, Dzungaritherium, contains a single species.
The construction of a indricothere is examined, concentrating on Paraceratherium. The skull is immense, one of the better specimens being 1.3 m. in length, and featuring the large tusks at the front of the mouth. The thickening of the leg bones, common in heavy animals, results in a 1.5 m. femur and even the primary foot bone is 50 cm, Estimates of the weights of the largest indricotheres are currently 13 - 20 tonnes, while proboscideans of that time come in a around 10 tonnes.
A section on constraints due to body size describes the problem that large animals have in cooling, suggesting that indricotheres may have had large ears for this purpose, as do elephants. Hindgut fermenters are relatively inefficient and so they likely ate huge quantities of vegetation, leaving much undigested in their feces.
The climate changed significantly over the period that indricotheres were prominent. During the early Eocene (55 mya) the climate in the Arctic was subtropical and frequently quite moist. By the early Oligocene, the climate was much cooler and drier. The resulting differences between the Eocene and Oligocene faunas has been called La Grande Coupure (the great cutoff). The transition favored herbivores feeding on the mixed vegetation of drier climates, but with fewer arboreal species such as primates. The transition seem to have occurred in the early Oligocene.
The book finishes by reviewing the current ideas as to what led to the demise of the larger indricotheres. Theories include competition (in terms of habitat destruction) from animals of the elephant family, and the appearance of huge predatory hyaenodonts from Africa.
September 16, 2013
In the midst of reading this excellent book & shall report back when I have finished.
How often do you get a book about Indricotheres?!!?
How often do you get a book about Indricotheres?!!?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews