Carolyn Rounds

OEB M.S. Candidate
B.S., SUNY New Paltz, 2007
carounds@nsm.umass.edu

Research Interests

My current research is on describing a new species of Chalicothere in the genus Moropus from a group of specimens currently known as Moropus sp.. Chalicotheres are an extinct group of mammals related to tapirs, rhinos and horses that are characterized by large claws on their front feet.

The genus that I am studying belongs to a denomination of Chalicotheres known as the Schizotheriinae, which were able to retract their claws slightly so that they were lifted off the ground when they walked. Moropus sp. lived in the Great Plains area of North America during the Miocene, and fossil specimens have been found in South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado. By comparing the bone morphology of these specimens with known species of Moropus, I will be able to determine if Moropus sp. is in fact a new species. I also hope to discover whether all the specimens of Moropus sp. from different locations in the Great Plains area are also the same species, since they existed within the same time span.

This information can provide better insight into the ecology of North America during the Miocene by giving a clearer picture of the species diversity, as well as the evolution, of Moropus in this region.