"Siberian Unicorn" walked on Earth with humans

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WS Van der Merwe

A giant rhino that could be at the origin of the myth of the unicorn survived until at least 39 000 years ago, much longer than expected.

Known as the Siberian unicorn, the animal had a long horn on the nose and

New evidence shows that the big beast may have ended up turning off because # She was a difficult eater.

Scientists claim that an increased knowledge of the extinction of the animal could help save the remaining rhinos from the planet. 19659007] Rhinoceros are particularly at risk of extinction because they are very hard on their habitat, said Professor Adrian Lister of the Natural History Museum in London, who led the study.

"Any change in their environment is a danger to them," he told BBC News. "And of course, what we also learned from the fossil record, is that once a species is gone, it's over, it disappears for good."

Weighing four tons, with an extraordinary single horn its head, the "Siberian unicorn", shared the land with early modern humans until at least 39,000 years ago.

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Igor Doronin

What do we know about the old rhinoceros?

The rhinoceros, Elasmotherium sibericum reportedly disappeared between 200 000 and 100 000 years ago.

A radiocarbon dating to a total of 23 specimens, researchers found that the ice age giant had in fact survived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia until at least 39,000 years ago

. They also isolated for the first time from the DNA of an old rhinoceros, thus showing it separated from the group of modern rhinos. about 40 million years ago.

The extinction of the Siberian unicorn marks the end of an entire group of rhinos.

Why did he disappear?

The study also examined the animals' teeth and confirmed that they were grazing hard, dry grbades.

"She was walking like a kind of prehistoric lawnmower … he's just grazing on the ground," said Professor Lister.

The specialized rhinoceros diet could have been its loss. As the Earth warmed and began to emerge from the Ice Age about 40,000 years ago, the grbadlands began to shrink, probably pushing the animal to extinction.

Hundreds of large mammal species have disappeared after the last ice age due to climate change. loss of vegetation and hunting of humans.

What does he teach us about the fate of modern rhinos?

There are only five species of rhinoceros left today. Very few survive outside the national park and reserves due to poaching and loss of habitat for several decades.

By studying fossilized rhinos, scientists can learn more about the fate of many prehistoric rhinoceros that once roamed the planet and how they have adapted. climate change and human pressures.

Where do the myths about unicorns come from?

The legends of the unicorn, or a single horned beast, have existed for millennia.

Some have argued that the rhinoceros horn may be the basis of myths about unicorns, although other animals – such as the narwhal parade – are more likely to be candidates.

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