Enormous 'unicorn' rhinos lived alongside the earliest humans

Siberian unicorn survived long enough to live alongside our earliest ancestors, according to new study

Enormous 'unicorn' rhinos lived alongside the earliest humans

Siberian unicorn survived long enough to live alongside our earliest ancestors, according to new study

Humans have seen real-life unicorns. That's the conclusion of the United Kingdom's National History Museum in London, which determined that the Elasmotherium sibiricum, a species known as the Siberian unicorn, co-existed with humans. The catch? Forget all unicorn preconceptions. Instead of an elegant horse, think of a hairy rhino with an extraordinary horn.The NHM's study showed the elasmotherium survived for far longer than scientists had previously believed. It was general consensus that the magnificent animal, which weighed up to up to 3.5 tons (7,716 pounds) went extinct 200,000 to 100,000 years ago. However, new radiocarbon dating shows elasmotherium was made up of much heartier stuff, allowing for its survival. Scientists now believe the species survived until at least 39,000 years ago, possibly as late as 35,000 years ago.In a certain way, this places elasmotherium comfortably within history. The new life span shows it existed alongside what are known as Pleistocene megafauna, gigantic animals that emerged after the dinosaurs. These included woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and a wide variety of magnificent creatures that roamed the planet alongside humans until a great extinction event likely related to natural climate change occurred."This megafaunal extinction event didn't really get going until about 40,000 years ago," Adrian Lister, merit researcher at the NHM, said in a press statement. "So elasmotherium with its apparent extinction date of 100,000 years ago or more has not been considered as part of that same event.""We dated a few specimens — such as the beautiful complete skull we have at the museum — and to our surprise, they came in at less than 40,000 years old," meaning the species shared its final days with early human hunter-gatherers," said Lister.Further study showed the unicorn rhino shared some similarities with its modern relatives. Examining the elasmotherium's teeth, scientists were able to compare the carbon and nitrogen isotopes found there with a variety of plant species. Finding a match, they were able to confirm the Siberian beast grazed on tough, dry grasses — just like rhinos. In a rarity, researchers say the rise of humans likely did not lead to the rhino's extinction. Rather, the rhino's specialized grazing diet, mixed with climate change, was a more likely cause.While rhinos are rare creatures today, that wasn't always the case. Throughout natural history, there have been as many as 250 species of rhinoceros. These days, animal extinctions are happening at such a rate that nature can't keep up, leading to a crisis in biological diversity.Source: Gizmodo

The NHM's study showed the elasmotherium survived for far longer than scientists had previously believed. It was general consensus that the magnificent animal, which weighed up to up to 3.5 tons (7,716 pounds) went extinct 200,000 to 100,000 years ago. However, new radiocarbon dating shows elasmotherium was made up of much heartier stuff, allowing for its survival. Scientists now believe the species survived until at least 39,000 years ago, possibly as late as 35,000 years ago.

In a certain way, this places elasmotherium comfortably within history. The new life span shows it existed alongside what are known as Pleistocene megafauna, gigantic animals that emerged after the dinosaurs. These included woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and a wide variety of magnificent creatures that roamed the planet alongside humans until a great extinction event likely related to natural climate change occurred.

"This megafaunal extinction event didn't really get going until about 40,000 years ago," Adrian Lister, merit researcher at the NHM, said in a press statement. "So elasmotherium with its apparent extinction date of 100,000 years ago or more has not been considered as part of that same event."

"We dated a few specimens — such as the beautiful complete skull we have at the museum — and to our surprise, they came in at less than 40,000 years old," meaning the species shared its final days with early human hunter-gatherers," said Lister.

Further study showed the unicorn rhino shared some similarities with its modern relatives. Examining the elasmotherium's teeth, scientists were able to compare the carbon and nitrogen isotopes found there with a variety of plant species. Finding a match, they were able to confirm the Siberian beast grazed on tough, dry grasses — just like rhinos.

In a rarity, researchers say the rise of humans likely did not lead to the rhino's extinction. Rather, the rhino's specialized grazing diet, mixed with climate change, was a more likely cause.

While rhinos are rare creatures today, that wasn't always the case. Throughout natural history, there have been as many as 250 species of rhinoceros. These days, animal extinctions are happening at such a rate that nature can't keep up, leading to a .

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