Synthetoceras Explained

Synthetoceras tricornatus is a large, extinct protoceratid, endemic to North America (Nebraska) during the Late Miocene, 10.3—5.3 Ma, existing for approximately . Fossils have been recovered from Nebraska and Texas.^[1]

Description

With a length of 2m (07feet) and a mass of 150–, Synthetoceras was the largest member of its family.^{[2] [3]} It was also the last, and had what is considered to be the protoceratids' strangest set of horns.^[4] The two horns above its eyes looked fairly normal and similar to those of many modern horned mammals, but on its snout it had a bizarre, long horn with a forked tip that gave it a Y-shape. Only males had this strange horn, and they probably used it in territorial fights.

Further reading

• R. C. Hulbert and F. C. Whitmore. 2006. Late Miocene mammals from the Mauvilla Local Fauna, Alabama. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History 46(1):1-28
• Prothero D.R., 1998. Protoceratidae. pp. 431–438 in C.M. Janis, K.M. Scott, and L.L. Jacobs (eds.) Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Synthetoceras tricornatus . fossilworks . 17 December 2021.
2. Book: Palmer, D.. 1999 . The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. Marshall Editions. London. 273. 1-84028-152-9.
3. Janis, C. M., Theodor, J. M., & Boisvert, B. (2002). Locomotor evolution in camels revisited: a quantitative analysis of pedal anatomy and the acquisition of the pacing gait. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 22(1), 110–121.
4. Geist, V. (1966). The Evolution of Horn-Like Organs. Behaviour, 27(1-2), 175–214. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853966x00155