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Created page with "{{Taxonomy |name=Uintatheriidae |image= |caption= |domain=Eukaryota |kingdom=Animalia |subkingdom=Bilateria |branch=Deuterostomia |superphylum= |phylum=Chordata |subphylum=Ve..."
{{Taxonomy
|name=Uintatheriidae
|image=
|caption=
|domain=Eukaryota
|kingdom=Animalia
|subkingdom=Bilateria
|branch=Deuterostomia
|superphylum=
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=Vertebrata
|infraphylum=Gnathostomata
|microphylum=
|superdivision=
|division=
|subdivision=
|superclass=
|class=Mammalia
|subclass=Theria
|infraclass=Eutheria
|superorder=Laurasiatheria
|order=Dinocerata
|suborder=
|infraorder=
|superfamily=
|families=
|family=Uintatheriidae
|subfamily=
|supertribe=
|tribe=
|subtribe=
|genera=
|genus=
|subgenus=
|species=
|binomialname=
|syn=
|sub=
|alt=
|regionimg=
|pop=
|conservation=Extinct
}}
'''Uintatheriidae''' is a family of large, extinct mammals principally found in fossil beds of North America and China.
==Description==
Superficially their overall appearance was similar to a modern-day [[rhinoceros]]. They were heavy, robust animals with columnar legs and reached large size, up to 13 feet long, nearly 6 feet high at the shoulder, and up to approximately two tons in weight. The skull was small in comparison to its body size, but stoutly-built, heavily-concave in the rear, and bore up to six bony ossicones. The nature and function of the ossicones is as of yet unknown, but it gave the animal an appearance of bearing six horns. The braincase within the skull was extremely small for such a large animal, as were the eye sockets, which were a mere hollow above and in front of the cheekbones, indicating the animal's sense of sight was poor.
The molar teeth were cusp-shaped and peaked, indicating they were browsers rather than grazers; however, they also bore small lower incisors but no uppers, similar to cattle and deer, indicating it may have been possible for these animals to graze as well. Large, saber-like canine teeth jutted downward from the upper jaw, and were partially protected by a flange of bone on either side of the lower jaw when the mouth was closed.
===Species===
Family Uintatheriidae
*Subfamily Gobiatheriinae
::Genus ''Gobiatherium''
:::''Gobiatherium major''
:::''Gobiatherium mirificum''
:::''Gobiatherium monolobotum''
*Subfamily Uintatheriinae
::Genus ''Bathyopsis''
:::''Bathyopsis fissidens''
:::''Bathyopsis middlestewarti''
::Genus ''Eobasileus''
:::''Eobasileus cornutus''
::Genus ''Prodinoceras''
:::''Prodinoceras martyr''
::Genus ''Tetheopsis''
:::''Tetheopsis ingens''
:::''Tetheopsis speirianus''
::Genus ''Uintatherium''
:::''Uintatherium anceps''
:::''Uintatherium insperatus''
==History==
[[Othniel Charles Marsh]] and [[Edward Drinker Cope]] were paleontologists who explored the western United States for fossils in the 1870s-1880s; their personal, vindictive rivalry led to the so-called "[[Bone war]]". In 1872 both explored the area of Fort Bridger, Wyoming and presented at the end of 1872 reports on four different species: ''Dinoceras mirabilis'', ''Dinoceras lacustris'', ''Tinoceras anceps'' and ''Tinoceras grandis''. For its part, Cope made public his discovery of ''Loxolophodon cornutus'', which he later renamed ''Eobasileus cornutus''.
During 1873, a third paleontologist, [[Joseph Leidy]] was able to examine and report on ''Eobasileus'', ''Dinoceras'' and ''Tinoceras''. While he came to the conclusion that ''Eobasileus'' was a genus that was close but distinct from ''Uintaterium'', he also discovered that both Marsh's ''Dinoceras'' and his own ''Uintamastix'' were actually specimens of uintathere. He also suspected that ''Tinoceras'' was the same animal, but he could not determine it with certainty. Later it was finished revealing that most species of dinoceres described by Marsh belonged to the genus ''Uintatherium''<ref>Jacobs, Scott; p 284</ref>.
==References==
<small><references></small>
*Jacobs, Louis, Scott, Katherine Marie. ''Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulate-like Mammals''; Cambridge University Press, 1998
[[Category:Mammals]][[Category:Extinct Mammals]][[Category:Prehistoric Mammals]]
|name=Uintatheriidae
|image=
|caption=
|domain=Eukaryota
|kingdom=Animalia
|subkingdom=Bilateria
|branch=Deuterostomia
|superphylum=
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=Vertebrata
|infraphylum=Gnathostomata
|microphylum=
|superdivision=
|division=
|subdivision=
|superclass=
|class=Mammalia
|subclass=Theria
|infraclass=Eutheria
|superorder=Laurasiatheria
|order=Dinocerata
|suborder=
|infraorder=
|superfamily=
|families=
|family=Uintatheriidae
|subfamily=
|supertribe=
|tribe=
|subtribe=
|genera=
|genus=
|subgenus=
|species=
|binomialname=
|syn=
|sub=
|alt=
|regionimg=
|pop=
|conservation=Extinct
}}
'''Uintatheriidae''' is a family of large, extinct mammals principally found in fossil beds of North America and China.
==Description==
Superficially their overall appearance was similar to a modern-day [[rhinoceros]]. They were heavy, robust animals with columnar legs and reached large size, up to 13 feet long, nearly 6 feet high at the shoulder, and up to approximately two tons in weight. The skull was small in comparison to its body size, but stoutly-built, heavily-concave in the rear, and bore up to six bony ossicones. The nature and function of the ossicones is as of yet unknown, but it gave the animal an appearance of bearing six horns. The braincase within the skull was extremely small for such a large animal, as were the eye sockets, which were a mere hollow above and in front of the cheekbones, indicating the animal's sense of sight was poor.
The molar teeth were cusp-shaped and peaked, indicating they were browsers rather than grazers; however, they also bore small lower incisors but no uppers, similar to cattle and deer, indicating it may have been possible for these animals to graze as well. Large, saber-like canine teeth jutted downward from the upper jaw, and were partially protected by a flange of bone on either side of the lower jaw when the mouth was closed.
===Species===
Family Uintatheriidae
*Subfamily Gobiatheriinae
::Genus ''Gobiatherium''
:::''Gobiatherium major''
:::''Gobiatherium mirificum''
:::''Gobiatherium monolobotum''
*Subfamily Uintatheriinae
::Genus ''Bathyopsis''
:::''Bathyopsis fissidens''
:::''Bathyopsis middlestewarti''
::Genus ''Eobasileus''
:::''Eobasileus cornutus''
::Genus ''Prodinoceras''
:::''Prodinoceras martyr''
::Genus ''Tetheopsis''
:::''Tetheopsis ingens''
:::''Tetheopsis speirianus''
::Genus ''Uintatherium''
:::''Uintatherium anceps''
:::''Uintatherium insperatus''
==History==
[[Othniel Charles Marsh]] and [[Edward Drinker Cope]] were paleontologists who explored the western United States for fossils in the 1870s-1880s; their personal, vindictive rivalry led to the so-called "[[Bone war]]". In 1872 both explored the area of Fort Bridger, Wyoming and presented at the end of 1872 reports on four different species: ''Dinoceras mirabilis'', ''Dinoceras lacustris'', ''Tinoceras anceps'' and ''Tinoceras grandis''. For its part, Cope made public his discovery of ''Loxolophodon cornutus'', which he later renamed ''Eobasileus cornutus''.
During 1873, a third paleontologist, [[Joseph Leidy]] was able to examine and report on ''Eobasileus'', ''Dinoceras'' and ''Tinoceras''. While he came to the conclusion that ''Eobasileus'' was a genus that was close but distinct from ''Uintaterium'', he also discovered that both Marsh's ''Dinoceras'' and his own ''Uintamastix'' were actually specimens of uintathere. He also suspected that ''Tinoceras'' was the same animal, but he could not determine it with certainty. Later it was finished revealing that most species of dinoceres described by Marsh belonged to the genus ''Uintatherium''<ref>Jacobs, Scott; p 284</ref>.
==References==
<small><references></small>
*Jacobs, Louis, Scott, Katherine Marie. ''Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulate-like Mammals''; Cambridge University Press, 1998
[[Category:Mammals]][[Category:Extinct Mammals]][[Category:Prehistoric Mammals]]