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Arsinoitherium horns were keratinous
Topic Started: Sep 29 2017, 11:05 AM (273 Views)
Carlos
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http://markwitton-com.blogspot.pt/2017/09/the-horns-of-arsinoitherium-covered-in.html
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Nyarlathotep
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This animal just got a whole lot more interesting. It seems to imply they may have used their horns in a similar way to rhinos in competition instead of just for sexual display, further indicating a convergence between the two clades.
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LittleLazyLass
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I'm a bit confused why exactly this wasn't the default assumption to begin with.
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ÐK
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Little
Sep 29 2017, 02:16 PM
I'm a bit confused why exactly this wasn't the default assumption to begin with.
And I'm pretty sure that it is the default assumption, sort of. A quick image search brings up plenty of Arsinoitherium reconstructions—both old and recent—shown with clear keratinous horns distinct from the rest of the skin on the face, so I can't for the life of me think where "Arsinoitherium has been reconstructed with 'regular' mammalian skin on its horns for decades" comes from.

The way they're mostly drawn to me looks like they're just reconstructed as like rhino horns except made of bone, but the general texture is still clearly a smooth keratinous horn like living rhinos rather than covered in "regular" skin, barring one or two artists. There's definitely a good argument for augmenting the horns with more keratin, like bovid horns, but I don't think there's any precedent for claiming artists have never put keratin on the horns, only not enough.
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peashyjah
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It might sound pretty cool that Arsinoitherium's horns are covered in skin but they may have been covered with keratin sheaths too.
Am i right?
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Tartarus
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peashyjah
Sep 29 2017, 03:40 PM
It might sound pretty cool that Arsinoitherium's horns are covered in skin but they may have been covered with keratin sheaths too.
Am i right?
Its horns were each a bone core covered by a keratin sheath, as the article clearly states near the end.
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