Narrow-nosed rhinoceros

The species was originally described by Hugh Falconer in 1859 as Rhinoceros hemitoechus, based on remains found in cave deposits in Glamorgan, south Wales in Great Britain, dating to the Eemian/Last interglacial, around 130-115,000 years ago. The lectotype specimen (the singular type specimen later selected from an original series of type specimens) is a partial posterior half of a skull (NHML M48953), held in the Natural History Museum of London, which was collected from Minchin Hole, on the southeast coast of the Gower Peninsula in southwest Glamorgan. The species name refers to the shape of its nasal septum, which is partially closed. In Falconer's 1868 posthumously published memoir describing S. hemitoechus, another partial posterior portion of the skull of the species of unknown age, purchased by the British Museum in 1846, now also held in the collections of the London Natural History Museum (under the specimen number PV OR 20013) likely collected from somewhere in Northamptonshire, central England was compared to the skull from Minchin Hole. The lectotype has often erroneously historically asserted to be the specimen NHMUK 27836, also held in the London Natural History Museum, a skull collected from Middle Pleistocene sediments in the vicinity of Clacton on the east coast of England, and assigned to the species Rhinoceros leptorhinus by Richard Owen in 1846 (Rhinoceros leptorhinus was originally named by Georges Cuvier in 1822 for unrelated older rhinoceros remains from Italy). Truncated cladogram of Rhinocerotinae, showing the position of the narrow-nosed rhinoceros relative to living and Pleistocene rhinocerotine species based on morphological and genetic data, after Borrani et al. 2025. }}}} }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|label1=Rhinocerotinae}}Several claimed subspecies of S. hemitoechus has been named, including Stephanorhinus hemitoechus falconeri named by Augusto Azzaroli in 1962, which included the aforementioned Clacton skull as its lectotype, as well as remains from Germany and Italy. Stephanorhinus hemitoechus aretinus was named by Azzaroli in the same year, and includes remains from Italy and England. Stephanorhinus hemitoechus intermedius was named by Azzaroli in 1987, and includes remains from Italy. A 2025 review found all claimed subspecies of S. hemitoechus to be invalid, and that the differences were due to individual variation, as well as stage of growth and sex. == Description ==

(bottom), showing the difference in head angle The narrow-nosed rhinoceros was a large rhinoceros, though the size of the species was somewhat variable depending on local conditions. A 2016 study estimated an average body mass of as a gross average across the sampled Western European populations, with sampled individuals body mass varying from on the low end to at maximum. A 2026 study estimated an average body mass of for northern European populations and for southern Europe, though they suggested this difference may not be statistically significant, with the total range spanning from to . The skull is low slung, with the cranium being downwardly directed. Like other Stephanorhinus species, the narrow-nosed rhinoceros had a long nasal region of the skull supported by a bony (ossified) nasal septum. though the attachment regions for the horns are "weakly developed" similar to S. etruscus but unlike S. hundsheimensis. As in other Stephanorhinus species, it lacked incisor teeth on both upper and lower jaws. similar to living black and white rhinoceroses. The teeth are relatively high crowned (hypsodont) compared to other Stephanorhinus species, with the third molars being relatively enlarged. The teeth are relatively shifted forwards in the jaw. The lower jaw is relatively slender in comparison to S. kirchbergensis, and tapers, becoming slender and narrow towards the front (the mandibular symphysis). == Evolution and distribution ==

The earliest remains of the species in Europe date to the early-mid Middle Pleistocene, around 500,000 years ago, with one of the oldest if not the oldest record in Europe being from Campagna Romana near Rome in Central Italy, dating to Marine Isotope Stage 13. It is suggested to have evolved outside of Western Europe before later migrating into the region. The species may have evolved from the earlier Stephanorhinus etruscus, as well as West Asia and North Africa. eastwards to Italy Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece (possibly as far south as the Peloponnese).'' Its range extended northwards into northern France, Britain (as far north as North Yorkshire), the Netherlands, Germany during warm interglacial periods. In North Africa, where the species was previously known as Rhinoceros subinermis,'' remains are known from the Maghreb in Morocco, and possibly Haua Fteah cave in coastal northern Cyrenacia, northeast Libya (which were originally referred to S. kirchbergensis, which is no longer thought to have been present in Africa). Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria in the west, to western Iran, and Azerbaijan in the east, where some remains were previously referred to as the species Rhinoceros binagadensis.'' == Ecology ==

(background centre-left), the extinct fallow deer Dama celiae (foreground) wild horse (left), bison, (background centre) and aurochs (background right) The morphology of the skull suggests that the species was adapted towards a grazing diet. A 2026 analysis across the species temporal span in Western Europe found an overall trend for mixed feeding. In Europe the species was found in temperate as well as cool climates, and seems to have been intolerant of cold climate conditions like those typically inhabited by the woolly rhinoceros. In Europe, the narrow-nosed rhinoceros lived alongside other megafauna species, including both animals living today, like red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, wild boar, wolves, brown bears, leopards, wild horse and bison, and those that are extinct, like European wild ass, aurochs, cave hyena, Irish elk, cave lions and straight-tusked elephants. In the Middle East, it lived alongside lions, cave hyenas, leopards, mouflon, wild goat, gazelles, red and fallow deer, wild ass, aurochs, camels, and elephants. == Relationship with humans ==

Finds at a number of sites suggest that the narrow-nosed rhinoceros was exploited for food by archaic humans. Specimens of S. hemitoechus from the Middle Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 12,478,000-424,000 years ago) Arago Cave (Caune de l'Arago) site in Southern France shows extensive evidence of butchery (presumably by Tautavel Man, which is found at the same site). The ratios of skeletal elements implies that only the parts of the body with the most meat were carried to the site. The profile of ages of rhino bones in the cave resembles natural mortality curves, suggesting that there was not selective hunting, and the fact that marks of other carnivores are rare implies that the carcasses were acquired by hunting or active scavenging. At the Shishan Marsh site in the Azraq Oasis in northeast Jordan, dating to around 250,000 years ago, stone tools at the site have been found to have protein residue from the butchery of rhinoceroses. As S. hemitoechus is the only rhinoceros species known from the site, it is probable that it was the species butchered. At the late Middle Pleistocene Gran Dolina site in Spain, a handful of S. cf. hemitoechus bones display cut marks. At Biache-Saint-Vaast in northeast France, dating to MIS 7, around 240,000 years ago, remains of at least 33 individuals of S. hemitoechus, alongside those of brown bear and aurochs, were found in association with human artifacts, with a significant proportion displaying cut marks. The mortality profile, which is heavily skewed towards juveniles, with no old adults, may suggest selective hunting of juveniles by Neanderthals. The late Middle Pleistocene sites of Great Yeldham and Grays Thurrock in southern Britain (both probably dating to around 300,000 years ago) where remains of S. hemitoechus have been found have also been suggested as butchery sites. A skull from Cueva Des-Cubierta in central Spain, dating to the early-mid Late Pleistocene (MIS 4-early MIS 3, ~71-43,000 years ago), exhibits fracturing and cut marks consistent with butchery by Neanderthals. The missing pieces of the skull were not found in the cave, suggesting that it had been butchered off-site. It has been proposed that the skull was kept as a hunting trophy along with the skulls of aurochs and bison. Several other sites in Spain demonstrate the exploitation of S. hemitoechus by Neanderthals during the early-mid Late Pleistocene, including Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter (which represents a single individual brought to a hunting camp and butchered) and Abric Romani (minimum of two individuals). Exploitation of narrow-nosed rhinoceros by Neanderthals was relatively infrequent compared to other types of prey. == Extinction ==

In North Africa, remains of the narrow-nosed rhinoceros are known dating between 109-53,000 years ago. with indirectly dated remains found at the cave of Gruta da Figueira Brava in southwest Portugal possibly dating to somewhat later, Its extinction in southern Europe was suggested in a 2017 study to be due at least in part to climatic change causing habitat fragmentation resulting in population fragmentation, with small populations more likely to become extinct for a variety of reasons, "including loss of genetic variability, inbreeding, genetic drift, demographic fluctuations and environmental variations or natural catastrophes". The study found little evidence of systematic hunting of narrow-nosed rhinoceroses by humans at the time of its extinction. The unfavourable cold environmental conditions in Europe in the run-up to the Last Glacial Maximum may have forced it to compete with other herbivores on limited food resources. ==References==