What is Elasmotherium?

Elasmotherium, or the "Thin Plate Beast," also known as the Giant Unicorn, is a genus of giant rhinoceros that roamed the Eurasian steppes for millions of years, from about 5 million years ago until around 1.6 million years ago (but one report suggests it may have lived until the 10th century). Elasmotherium had an average height of 2 meters (6.6 ft), length of 6 meters (20 ft), with a single 2 meter (6.6 ft) long horn in the middle of its forehead. The horn had a wide base, sharpening to a point at the tip. With a horn larger than an adult human male, Elasmotherium could kill most would-be predators. Like modern rhinos, it was an herbivore, mostly consuming grasses.

Analysis of Elasmotherium fossils has led scientists to believe that the animal was probably a fast runner, despite its size. A charging specimen may have been able to generate more kinetic energy than any land mammal that ever lived. Like modern rhinos, it probably could have charged at 25 mph (40 km/h) for short periods, and was likely a good swimmer. Its size was similar to that of the largest living rhino today, the Indian Rhino. Its horn is about twice as long as the longest among living rhinos. Since all known specimens are fossilized, however, extant Elasmotherium horns are made out of stone, not keratin.

It has been suggested by the Nordisk familijebok (a Swedish encyclopedia published in the late 19th and early 20th century) and the science writer Willy Ley that Elasmotherium may have existed long enough to be remembered in the cultural consciousness of the Evenk people, who dwell in present-day Russia and China. A "huge black bull with a horn in its forehead" features in some of their legends. A possible reference to Elasmotherium in historic times also appears in the accounts of Ibn Fadlan, a medieval Arab Muslim who traveled as an ambassador from Baghdad to the settlements of the Volga Bulgars in present-day Russia. In his account, the beast had a propensity to toss men from their horses, spearing them in midair with its horn, while leaving their mount alone. It was allegedly hunted by the natives, who shot poison arrows at it from trees.

Elasmotherium, often referred to as the "Siberian Unicorn," was a genus of large rhinoceros that lived during the Late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene epochs. It was notable for its massive size and a single large horn on its forehead, which is believed to have been used for defense, attracting mates, or digging for water and plant roots.

Elasmotherium was significantly larger than any modern rhino species. It stood up to 2 meters tall at the shoulder and measured up to 6 meters in length. Its estimated weight was up to 4-5 tons, making it one of the largest rhinoceroses that ever lived, dwarfing most of its modern relatives.

Yes, Elasmotherium is believed to have had a large horn, based on the skull structure with a massive base for horn support. The horn was likely made of keratin, the same material found in human nails and hair, as well as the horns of contemporary rhinoceroses, though no fossilized horns have been found to confirm its exact composition.

Elasmotherium was a herbivore, grazing on grasses and other vegetation. Its teeth were high-crowned and well-suited for tough grasses, suggesting it lived in steppes or grassland regions. Its diet likely consisted of a variety of plant materials available in its habitat, which it would have processed with its flat, grinding teeth.

Elasmotherium is believed to have gone extinct around 39,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating. The reasons for its extinction are not entirely clear, but it is likely due to a combination of climate change, habitat loss, and possibly human hunting pressures, which affected many large mammal species during the Pleistocene epoch.

Fossils of Elasmotherium have been primarily found in the steppe regions of Eurasia, from western Russia to Kazakhstan and south to the Caucasus. These discoveries have provided valuable insights into the diverse megafauna that once roamed these vast grasslands before the end of the last Ice Age.