The first described Arsinoitherium from the upper Eocene Aydim Formation of Oman: Biogeographic implications

A new fossiliferous locality is discovered from the upper Eocene Aydim Formation, in Dhofar, Southern Sultanate of Oman. A left ulna of Arsinoitherium is described, and cranial and postcranial specimens found in close proximity are referred to the same taxon. The locality is promising for the recovery of additional fossil specimens. Moreover, the presence of Arsinoitherium in Oman is of biogeographic significance; as the Red Sea did not exist during the late Eocene, these large-bodied animals were able to freely travel between what is now the Arabian Peninsula and continental Africa.