of Sinotherium's descendant Elasmotherium is present on its frontals (forehead), Sinotherium shows a unique condition in which its horn is present in an intermediate "naso-frontal" position. This represents the horn shifting from its ancestral nasal position to the derived frontal position, eventually resulting in the completely frontal restricted position of Elasmotherium. In addition to the nasofrontal horn, Sinotherium also preserves a rugosity on its forehead, just behind the nasofrontal horn, which implies that the animal had two horns. Paleobiology Evolution Early elasmotheriine genera of the line leading to Elasmotherium, have a dolichocephalic skull supporting a horn growing on their nose, just like any other Rhinocerotid, however, Elasmotherium was the sole member of Elasmotheriinae that had a brachycephalic skull and supported a horn on its forehead instead. A transition between this state of nose-horned to forehead-horned elasmotheriines remained missing until 2012, when the first cranial remains of Sinotherium lagrelii, (specimen IVPP V 18539, a partial skull housed at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing) was described, demonstrating a very important transition from nose-horned elasmotheriines like Ningxiatherium to forehead-horned elasmotheriines like Elasmotherium. While the horns of Ningxiatherium-like elasmotheriines are present on their nasals, and the horn of Elasmotherium on its frontals, Sinotherium shows its horn to be present in a "nasofrontal" position, (present on both the nose and the forehead). This shows the horn shifting from its ancestral nasal position to a more derived frontal position, eventually resulting in the completely frontal restricted position of Elasmotherium. Distribution and Paleoecology Sinotherium first appeared during the Late Miocene, occupying east Asian and Mid-Asian regions, but remains dating to the Early Pliocene can be found from eastern Asia to as far as the Kumo-Manych depression of South-Western Russia. This showed that at the beginning of the Pliocene (5.3–4.8 Mya), Sinotherium had significantly expanded its range westward. Sinotherium is known from Pliocene to Late Miocene deposits of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. In China, the species S. lagrelii is known from an age of 7 Ma from the red clays of the Late Miocene Liushu Formation in the Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, accompanying one bear (Ursavus sp.), one badger-like mustelid (Parataxidea sinensis), three hyenas (Hyaenictitherium wongii, H. hyaenoides, and Ictitherium sp.), three felids (Amphimachairodus giganteus, Metailurus major, and Felis sp.), one chalicothere (Ancylotherium sp.), one three-toed horse (Hipparion coelophyes), one deer (Dicrocerus sp.), one giraffid (Palaeotragus microdon), and three bovids