The
phylogenetic position of
Ceratotherium mauritanicum is subject to ongoing scientific discussion. One model, proposed by Geraads (2005), places it in a direct ancestral line between the earlier
Ceratotherium neumayri (itself of debated generic placement) and the extant
C. simum. An alternative hypothesis, suggested by Hernesniemi et al. (2011), posits
C. mauritanicum as a descendant of
Ceratotherium efficax and an extinct
sister taxon to
C. simum. This view suggests that
C. mauritanicum retained more primitive characteristics in North Africa while the
Ceratotherium lineage underwent more progressive evolution in eastern and
southern Africa. The relationship between
C. mauritanicum and
Ceratotherium efficax (described from Pliocene East African fossils) is particularly complex. Some Pliocene fossils from East Africa have been attributed to
C. mauritanicum by some authors, This synonymy is reflected in the speciesbox.
Ceratotherium mauritanicum was widely distributed across northwestern Africa during the
Quaternary and is frequently found in association with
archaeological sites. It is plausible that carvings showing characteristics typical of the white rhinoceros may actually represent
C. mauritanicum, which likely had a very similar external appearance to
C. simum. Morphologically, most characters distinguishing
C. mauritanicum from
C. simum involve minor proportional differences. The most readily discernible distinction is considered to be the more robust limb bones, particularly the
metapodials, of
C. simum. Recent chronological studies indicate that
C. mauritanicum disappeared from North Africa and was replaced by the modern white rhinoceros (
C. simum) during a humid "
Green Sahara" period in the early Late Pleistocene, specifically between 120,000 and 57,000 years ago. ==Paleoecology==