Millions of years ago, chunky, stumpy-legged rhinoceroses in Nebraska were crowded together in huge herds at watering holes and rivers, according to researchers who reported that the chemical signatures in the fossilized teeth of these ancient beasts suggest they did not roam widely, forming big, local herds unlike the more solitary rhinos of today. These rhinoceroses lived about 12 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch, shortly after the Yellowstone supervolcano erupted and covered much of North America in ash. The ash that covered the landscape slowly suffocated and starved the local fauna, leading to the fossilization of about two hundred animal skeletons at the site, including over 100 mostly complete skeletons of an ancient rhino species known as Teleoceras.
Teleoceras, a barrel-bodied member of the rhinoceros family, was commonly thought to have a hippopotamus-like semiaquatic nature. Recent research has called this lifestyle into question, along with the question of whether the rhinos were social animals or mostly lived solitary lives like modern rhinos. To investigate further, researchers took samples of fossil rhinos’ molars and analyzed them chemically to determine if they were migrants or locals, checking for variation in carbon and strontium ratios that indicate the animals’ diet, habitat, and geographic locations. The analysis revealed that Teleoceras likely stayed close to Ashfall, feeding and wallowing in the same area, suggesting the rhinos lived in large herds and did not migrate between different regions.
The findings also shed light on the ancient Ashfall ecosystem, suggesting that the rhinos, horses, and camels living in the same area were able to coexist without depleting vegetation. The warmer climate of the Miocene may have led to more productive plant life, or the herbivores’ presence might have boosted plant growth as they cleared out older vegetation and deposited manure. The lack of evidence of long-distance migration among the rhinos indicates that they had access to enough food and water year-round, and it also raises questions about how they managed to coexist without stripping the area of vegetation.
The research provides valuable insights into the social behavior, diet, and habitat of ancient rhinoceroses, painting a picture of these creatures living in large, local herds in a rich ecosystem that allowed them to thrive without the need to roam far distances in search of resources. The study helps to fill gaps in our understanding of the ancient environment, highlighting the intricate relationships between herbivores, plant life, and the landscape during the Miocene Epoch. By analyzing chemical signatures in fossilized teeth, researchers are able to piece together the puzzle of these ancient animals’ lives, offering a glimpse into the past and the world in which they lived.
