Rhinoceros philippinensis

Rhinoceros philippinensis is a Pleistocene-aged species of rhinoceros endemic to the Philippine islands. Fossil remains were found in modern day Metro Manila and Kalinga.

Rhinoceros philippinensis
Temporal range: Pleistocene
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Rhinocerotidae
Genus: Rhinoceros
Species:
R. philippinensis
Binomial name
Rhinoceros philippinensis

The species was first described by Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald in 1956 based on fossil teeth that were excavated in Cagayan province of the Philippines in 1936.[1] These bones were lost and he did not provide for a holotype.[2]

Fort Bonifacio fossil

A fossilized jaw of R. philippinensis was unearthed by Mr. de Asis on May 13, 1965 in the Fort Bonifacio area. The specimen was unearthed from an ash deposit produced by the volcano called the Guadalupe Formation. The specimen had a length of 12.07 centimeters (4.75 in), width of 6.87 centimeters (2.70 in), and a thickness of 9.47 centimeters (3.73 in). It has a weight of 800 grams (28 oz).[3]

Kalinga fossil
Some of the Rhinoceros philippinensis bones retrieved from the Kalinga site

A 75-percent complete fossil of the R. philippinensis was unearthed in Rizal, Kalinga along with 57 stone tools in 2014. A 2018 study placed the date of the rhino fossil at around 709 thousand years old after the rhino's tooth enamel was subjected to electron spin resonance dating. The authors of the study found butchery marks on the bones of the ribs, metacarpals and both humeri suggesting that the rhino had been butchered by early humans or hominins. While no bones from any hominin were reported from the site, over 50 stone tools found in context with the rhinoceros provided direct evidence for human activities at the site.[4] [5]

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References
  1. von Koenigswald, G. H. R. (1956). "Fossil mammals from the Philippines". Proceedings of the Fourth Far-Eastern Prehistory and the Anthropology Division of the 8th Pacific Science Congresses combined. Part 1: Prehistory, Archaeology and Physical Anthropology (Second Fascicle, Section 1): 339–369.
  2. van der Geer, A.; Lyras, G.; de Vos, J.; Dermitzakis, M. (2011). "Greater Luzon-Greater Negros-Panay-Greater Mindanao: Middle-Late Pleistocene". Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  3. "Rhinoceros philippinensis" (in Filipino). National Museum of the Philippines. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  4. Ingicco, Thomas; et al. (May 3, 2018). "Earliest known hominin activity in the Philippines by 709 thousand years ago". Nature.
  5. Tarlach, Gemma (2 May 2018). "Hominin Head-Scratcher: Who Butchered This Rhino 709,000 Years Ago?". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
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