Rhinoceros sinensis hayasakai : Taiwan has Rhinos, too
The discovery of Rhinoceros sinensis hayasakai fossil could be traced back to the 1930s when the Professor of geology, Ichiro Harasaka, at Taihoku Imperial University (predecessor of National Taiwan University) pointed out that there could have also been rhinos among large mammal fossil findings along the Tsailiao River in Tso-chen, Hsinhua, Tainan. The Taiwan Provincial Museum formed a team in December 1971, instructed by Professor Lin Chao-chi, to excavate rhino fossils in Tso-chen, Tainan. In 1972, the Museum employed two Japanese paleontologists, Tokio Shikama and Hiroyuki Otsuka, to assist in the second excavation. Professors Otsuka and Lin had named this rhino fossil as Rhinoceros sinensis hayasakai to commemorate the extraordinary contribution of Professor Ichiro Harasaka to Taiwan’s research in paleontology.