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Characteristics shared by all brontotheriid species include an abbreviated face, an elongated postorbital cranium, and the outer shearing blades on the molars bearing a "W" or wedge shape<ref>http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/5913</ref>. Despite being members of Perissodactyla, all species had four toes on the front feet; the rear feet bore three.
Characteristics shared by all brontotheriid species include an abbreviated face, an elongated postorbital cranium, and the outer shearing blades on the molars bearing a "W" or wedge shape<ref>http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/5913</ref>. Despite being members of Perissodactyla, all species had four toes on the front feet; the rear feet bore three.
The familiar species (''Embolotherium'', ''Megacerops'', etc.) were of large size, easily standing over eight feet at the shoulder with estimated weight of nearly four tons. The head bore horns on the snout made entirely of bone; unlike rhinos, these horns were side-by-side instead of one behind the other, and in some brontothere species the horns were fused into a bizarre "slingshot" or "battering ram" appearance. It has been surmised that the horns were used in combat between bulls during mating season.
The familiar species (''Embolotherium'', ''Megacerops'', etc.) were of large size, easily standing over eight feet at the shoulder with estimated weight of nearly four tons. The head bore horns on the snout made entirely of bone; unlike rhinos, these horns were side-by-side instead of one behind the other, and in some brontothere species the horns were fused into a bizarre "slingshot" or "battering ram" appearance. It has been surmised that the horns were used in combat between bulls during mating season.
==Species==
*'''Family Brontotheriidae'''
:''incertae sedis'':
::''Eotitanops''
::''Mulkrajanops''
::''Pakotitanops''
::''Palaeosyops''
:::'''Subfamily Brontotheriinae'''
::::''Bunobrontops''
::::''Dolichorhinus''
::::''Desmatotitan''
::::''Epimanteoceras''
::::''Fossendorhinus''
::::''Mesatirhinus''
::::''Metarhinus''
::::''Metatelmatherium''
::::''Microtitan''
::::''Sphenocoelus''
::::''Sthenodectes''
::::''Telmatherium''
::::''incertae sedis'':
:::::''Acrotitan''
:::::''Arctotitan''
:::::''Hyotitan''
:::::''Nanotitanops''
:::::''Pygmaetitan''
:::::''Qufutitan''
::::'''Tribe Brontotheriini'''
:::::''Brachydiastematherium''
:::::''Diplacodon''
:::::''Pachytitan''
:::::''Protitan''
:::::''Protitanotherium''
:::::''Rhinotitan''
:::::''Sivatitanops''
::::::'''Subtribe Embolotheriina'''
:::::::''Aktautitan''
:::::::''Embolotherium''
:::::::''Gnathotitan''
:::::::''Metatitan''
:::::::''Nasamplus''
:::::::''Protembolotherium''
::::::'''Subtribe Brontotheriina'''
:::::::''Dianotitan''
:::::::''Duchesneodus''
:::::::''Megacerops''
:::::::''Notiotitanops''
:::::::''Parabrontops''
:::::::''Protitanops''
==Evolutionary claims==
==Evolutionary claims==
Brontotheres are claimed by [[evolutionists]] to have first evolved from ''Eotitanops'' during the late Paleocene 56 million years ago, and reached their peak in the late Eocene, 33.9 million years ago.
[[File:Titanothere1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Figures of four species of brontothere by E.S. Christman, from ''The titanotheres of ancient Wyoming, Dakota, and Nebraska'', by Henry Fairfield Osborn (1929).]]
Brontotheres are claimed by [[evolutionists]] to have first evolved from ''Eotitanops'' during the late Paleocene 56 million years ago, and reached their peak in the late Eocene, 33.9 million years ago.
When Henry Fairfield Osborn published his ''Titanotheres of ancient Wyoming, Dakota, and Nebraska'', he settled on the theory that ''Eotitanops'' gave rise to later and larger species as time went on; indeed, the image on the right indicates this. But Osborn settled on a dogmatic statement based on nothing more than the observation of individual species' bones and the assumption that one must have evolved from the other; such an assumption cannot be tested beyond Step One of the [[scientific method]]. At present it is unproven scientifically that an evolutionary change occurred within the various brontothere species.
==References==
==References==