Cerorhinca

Cerorhinca; Temporal range: Late Miocene - Recent
	Rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Alcidae
Genus:	Cerorhinca; Bonaparte, 1828
Species
	Cerorhinca monocerata; †Cerorhinca dubia; †Cerorhinca minor; †Cerorhinca reai; †Cerorhinca sp. (North Carolina);

Cerorhinca is a genus of auk containing the rhinoceros auklet and several fossil species.

Evolutionary history

The genus Cerorhinca evolved in the North Pacific during the Miocene. Fossils have been found as far south as Baja California. While previously only known from the Pacific region, an unnamed species has been discovered from the Pliocene of North Carolina, suggesting the genus had a much wider distribution in the past.^[1]

References

^ Smith, N.A.; Olson, S.L.; Clarke, J.A. (2007). "First Atlantic record of the puffin Cerorhinca (Aves, Alcidae) from the Pliocene of North Carolina" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (4): 1039–1042. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[1039:farotp]2.0.co;2. S2CID 13622138.

[1] Smith, N.A.; Olson, S.L.; Clarke, J.A. (2007). "First Atlantic record of the puffin Cerorhinca (Aves, Alcidae) from the Pliocene of North Carolina" (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 27 (4): 1039–1042. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[1039:farotp]2.0.co;2. S2CID 13622138.

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