New Fossil Discovery Suggests Unicorns Might Have Been Real
A new fossil discovered in Kazakhstan confirms that a one-horned creature walked on earth at the same time as humans, according to a study published in the American Journal of Applied Sciences.
Siberian unicorn Heinrich Harder / Via Wikimedia Commons
The fossilized skull discovered by scientists reveals that the one-horned creature, known as a Siberian unicorn, last roamed the planet 29,000 years ago, at the same time as humans, meaning it may have inspired its mythical namesake.
It was previously believed that the unicorn-like creature died 350,000 years ago, while humans evolved around 200,000 years ago.
The Siberian unicorn, known scientifically as Elasmotherium sibiricum, is most closely related to the rhinoceros, but its horn is thought to have been much longer — probably several feet long.
Elasmotherium fossil at London’s Natural History Museum. Wikimedia Commons / Via en.wikipedia.org
There’s no evidence that the Siberian unicorn had magic powers, but it was clearly a powerful creature. It stood 6 and a half feet tall, 15 feet long, and weighed four tons.
