A late Pleistocene skeleton of Rhinoceros unicornis (Mammalia, Rhinocerotidae) from western part of Thailand (Kanchanaburi Province)

Abstract

A subcomplete skeleton of a rhinoceros was discovered during excavation works in Kanchanaburi Province (Thailand) in May 1991. Fossil bones were preserved in anatomical connection in a late Pleistocene clay deposit. We describe these remains and refer them to as the Indian rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis. This fossil skeleton is the only one of its kind discovered in Southeast Asia and allows a complete description of the skeletal morphology of this species. The metric data reveal a close skeletal morphology with extant specimens from India and Nepal. The Kanchanaburi rhinoceros specimen confirms the much broader geographic distribution of the greater one-horned rhino during late Pleistocene times. This discovery provides a useful benchmark for the study of the evolutionary stages of this species in Southeast Asia during the concerned time interval.