This Prehistoric Giant Rhino Was ‘Taller Than a Giraffe’
by Elizabeth Gamillo/Smithsonianmag.com
The giant rhinoceros roamed Eurasia sometime between 20 million and 35 million years ago. The extinct behemoth stretched over 26 feet long and weighed almost as much as five elephants. Now, paleontologists have unearthed partial remains of a new species of giant rhino in China, according to a study published last week in the journal Communications Biology.
The newly discovered giant rhino (Paraceratherium linxiaense) is the sixth species of hornless rhino found in Asia. The remains may help paleontologists explain the origins of the ancient rhinos, their range across Eurasia, and how they evolved, reports Carly Cassella for Science Alert.
Giant rhinos are thought to be the largest land mammals to ever live. Their fossils have been found all across Asia, including China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan, reports George Dvorsky for Gizmodo. However, their dispersal throughout Asia is not fully understood.
Two individual giant rhinos were unearthed in 2015 from Late Oligocene deposits that date to 26.5 million years ago in the Linxia Basin in China, an area known for its abundance in fossils. The fossils included a skull, mandible, and several spinal vertebrae, reports Gizmodo. Read More:
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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The reason that land animals were much larger many millions of years ago, is because the earth’s gravity was much smaller then, because the whole earth was much smaller.
Space dust and meteors are still today continuously making the earth larger and increasing the sum of the total gravity force.
The increase of the gravity force means that larger land animals have a more difficult time moving around, so animals had to become smaller in order to deal with the increasing of gravity.
Whales do not have the same increase of gravity problem as land animals, since whales have controlled floatation.
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