Gray, J.E., 1869. The Keitloa (Rhinaster keitloa). Annals and Magazine of Natural History (4) 3: 244
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Taxonomy |
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Black Rhino |
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The Keitloa, which was first described by Camper from a head received from the Cape of Good Hope, was regarded by Cuvier as the adult of the common Bovili (R. bicornis); but he had only seen the figure of the skull which he copies as that of an adult Cape-Rhinoceros in his work on fossil bones. Dr. Andrew Smith described it from living specimens, and showed, by the development of its horns, the general form of its body, and habit, that it was a distinct species, recognized by the natives; but cabinet zoologists who have even visited Africa, and must have seen the animal alive, persisted in regarding it as the same as the Bovili or R. bicornis. The British Museum has lately purchased a complete skeleton of an adult female which Mr. Jesse obtained in Abyssinia; and the comparison of the skull with that of the Bovili (R. bicornis) in the British Museum, which was obtained from Mr. Petherick, proves that they are most distinct species, and that Camper's figure is a correct representation of the skull of the Keitloa. The skull of the Keitloa is much more solid and heavy than that of the Bovili, though this is partly dependent on the age of the animal; but still I am inclined to regard it as characteristic. The face, forehead, and crown are much wider than in the skull of the Bovili, the sides of the face being convex, and not flat as in that species; and the forehead under the hinder horn is convex and shelving on the sides, and this part is flat in the skull of the Bovili. In fact the Keitloa is evidently a most distinct and well-marked species, the skull having a very different appearance, especially when looked at on the crown. Though the natives give the two Rhinoceroses each a distinct name, the generality of African travellers confound the two browsing species together under the name of the Black
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The Keitloa (Rhinaster keitloa)
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