Forstercooperia confluens (formerly Pappaceras confluens, Wood 1963; the size of a large dog) nests between horses and Pappaceras and the paraceratheres / indricotheres. Note the extreme angle of the occiput, like that of a modern horse. Wood's illustration did not include the cranium. Like primitive rhinocerotoids, Forstercooperia possesses blunt ends on the tips of its nasals, above the nasal incision. Rhinoceros fossils are identified as such mainly by characteristics of their teeth, which is the part of the animals most likely to be preserved. The upper molars of most rhinoceroses have a pi (π) shaped pattern on the crown, and each lower molar has paired L-shapes. The LRT does not test molar cusp shapes, but does test other traits from snout to tail tip. |