Posted on 11/27/2018 1:15:48 PM PST by Red Badger
A giant rhino that may have been the origin of the unicorn myth survived until at least 39,000 years ago - much longer than previously thought.
Known as the Siberian unicorn, the animal had a long horn on its nose, and roamed the grasslands of Eurasia.
New evidence shows the hefty beast may have eventually died out because it was such a picky eater.
Scientists say knowing more about the animal's extinction could help save the remaining rhinos on the planet.
Rhinos are in particular danger of extinction because they are very picky about their habitat, said Prof Adrian Lister of the Natural History Museum, London, who led the study.
"Any change in their environment is a danger for them," he told BBC News. "And, of course, what we've also learned from the fossil record is that once a species is gone, that's it, it's gone for good."
Weighing in at a mighty four tonnes, with an extraordinary single horn on its head, the "Siberian unicorn", shared the earth with early modern humans up until at least 39,000 years ago.
What do we know about the ancient rhino?
The rhino, Elasmotherium sibericum, was thought to have become extinct between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago.
By radiocarbon-dating a total of 23 specimens, researchers found the Ice Age giant in fact survived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia until at least 39,000 years ago.
They also isolated DNA from the ancient rhino for the first time, showing it split from the modern group of rhinos about 40 million years ago.
The extinction of the Siberian unicorn marks the end point of an entire group of rhinos. Why might it have gone extinct?
The study also involved examining the animals' teeth, confirming they grazed on tough, dry grasses.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
None at all. The earliest known possible unicorn references come from Bronze Age India and Iron Age Greece, long after this Siberian animal was extinct.
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