Posted on 03/28/2016 1:54:16 PM PDT by Red Badger
For decades, scientists have estimated that the Siberian unicorn - a long-extinct species of mammal that looked more like a rhino than a horse - died out some 350,000 years ago, but a beautifully preserved skull found in Kazakhstan has completely overturned that assumption. Turns out, these incredible creatures were still around as recently as 29,000 years ago.
Before we talk about the latest discovery, yes, there was a very real 'unicorn' that roamed Earth tens of thousands of years ago, but it was nothing like the one found in your favourite children’s book. (Sorry - it’s a bummer for us, too.) The real unicorn, Elasmotherium sibiricum, was shaggy and huge and looked just like a modern rhino, only it carried the most almighty horn on its forehead.
According to early descriptions, the Siberian unicorn stood at roughly 2 metres tall, was 4.5 metres long, and weighed about 4 tonnes. That’s closer to woolly mammoth-sized than horse-sized. Despite its very impressive stature, the unicorn probably was a grazer that ate mostly grass. So, if you want a correct image in your head, think of a fuzzy rhinoceros with one long, slender horn protruding from its face instead of a short, stubby one like today’s rhinos.
The newly found skull, which was remarkably well-preserved, was found in the Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan. Researchers from Tomsk State University were able to date it to around 29,000 years ago via radiocarbon dating techniques. Based on the size and condition of the skull, it was likely a very old male, they suggest, but how it actually died remains unknown.
The question on researchers' minds is how this unicorn lasted so much longer than those that died out hundreds of thousands of years earlier. "Most likely, the south of Western Siberia was a refúgium, where this rhino persevered the longest in comparison with the rest of its range," said one of the team, Andrey Shpanski. "There is another possibility that it could migrate and dwell for a while in the more southern areas."
The team hopes that the find will help them better understand how environmental factors played a role in the creature’s extinction, since it seems like some may have lasted a lot longer than previously thought by migrating across great distances.
Knowing how the species survived for so long, and potentially what wiped it out in the end, could allow us to make more informed choices about the future of our own species, as we find ourselves in a rather perilous situation.
The results of the study have been published in the American Journal of Applied Science.
Irish Rovers - The Unicorn
A long time ago, when the Earth was green,
There was more kinds of animals than you’ve ever seen.
And they’d run around free when the Earth was being born,
And the loveliest of ‘em all was the unicorn.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees.
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the unicorn.
Well now God seen some sinnin’ and it caused Him pain.
And He said, “Stand back, I’m going to make it rain!”
He said, “Hey, Brother Noah, I’ll tell you what to do,
build me a floating zoo,”
“and take some of them”.......
“Green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees.
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born.
Don’t you forget My unicorns.”
Well Old Noah he was there and he answered the callin’,
And he finished makin’ the ark just as the rain started to fallin’.
Then he marched in all them animals two by two,
And he sung out as they went through,
“Hey Lord,”
“I got Your green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees.
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I’m so forlorn,
I just can’t see no unicorns !”
And Noah looked out through the driving rain,
The unicorns were hiding, playing sally games.
They were kickin’ and splashin’ while the rain was pourin’,
Oh, the sally unicorns!
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees.
Noah cried, “Close the door ‘cause the rain is just pourin’,
And we just cannot wait for no unicorn!”
The ark started moving, and it drifted with the tide,
And the unicorns looked up from the rocks and they cried.
And the waters come down and sort of flooded them away,
That’s why you never seen a unicorn to this very day.
But you’ll see green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees.
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
You’re never gonna see no unicorn!
Songwriters
SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Published by
Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.
From where or whom did these descriptions come from 29,000 years ago?...
Isn’t it great how they restore paintings almost 30,000 years old into such artistic pieces?
well, you know, drunken Irishman and singing, they make up all kinds of stuff...
;>)
Rhinos are unichorns to aren't they
Too bad the Weekly World News is no longer in competition with the National Enquirer. Imagine what they could do with this.
“Bat Boy has unicorn in his garage”
or “Bat Boy was “backdoor man” to Cruz Mistresses”
I’m always reminded of a bit from the Gulag Archipelago
about the mammoth remains found frozen in the Taiga.
Unfortunately, no specimens survived because the expedition
promptly ate every bit of the frozen meat.
Yes, things were that bad.
The Silicon Valley Unicorns will be joining this specimen very shortly unless they can produce a profit/lost sheet that has positive numbers.
Yes, we must find out what”environmental factors” caused it to die out so whatever is found out can be used to bolster the global warming hoax.
1) Was it pink?
2) Did it possess the ability to become invisible?
Somehow I knew unicorn man would make his appearance here on this thread.
If you try to ride one you may end up seeing rainbows.
If it went extinct 29k years ago that means they were tasty!
Lots of meat on that beast.
Many wooly mammoths were killed by human hunters.
PETA did it, People Eating Tasty Animals.
Clone it so we can find out what they tasted like!!
Okay, that's spooky. Ain't no skittles coming out of his ass.
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