 Reference Base  Notice of a presumed new species of rhinoceros, from Sout... |
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Gray, J.E., 1853. Notice of a presumed new species of rhinoceros, from South Africa. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1853 (March 8): 46-47, fig. 1
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World |
| Subject: |
Taxonomy - Nomenclature |
| Species: |
White Rhino |
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(First description of Rhinoceros oswellii). Colonel Thomas Steele having most kindly presented to the British Museum a pair of horns of a two-horned Rhinoceros, which was discovered in the interior of South Africa by his friend Mr. Oswell, Dr. Gray exhibited the horns; and having pointed out the peculiarity of their form, proposed that they should be provisionally described as belonging to a new species, under the name of Rhinoceros Oswellii..
The front horn is elongated and thick; but instead of being bent back, as is the general character of R. bicornis, or erect, as in R. si mus, is bent forwards, so that the upper surface is worn flat by being rubbed against the ground. The front horn in the pair exhibited was 31 inches long, flat, square, rough and fibrous in front, rounded and smooth behind. The hinder horn was short, conical and subquadrangular; it was 11 inches in length.
Dr. Gray stated that the British Museum possesses a second specimen of a front horn, with a similarly worn front top, of a rather larger size. This formerly belonged to Sir Hans Sloan'e's Collection; so that this species, like R. simus, must have been known to the older travellers.
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