Fossils of two giant rhinos, the largest land animals to have ever lived, have been unearthed in China, according to a study published Thursday.
The fossils were found near the Linxia basin in Northwest China in 2015, according to NBC News. Since then, scientists have reconstructed these fossils to the point where they have been classified as a new species: the Paraceratherium linxiaense.
The fossils of the giant rhino date back to 26.5 million years ago, as written in the study. Weighing roughly 21 tons, the giant rhino’s mass dwarfs that of the average elephant, which weighs between two and seven tons.
The newfound giant, hornless rhino species would have weighed four times more than today’s African elephants—its skull alone was more than a yard long https://t.co/dC6IdHK2RW
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 17, 2021
The giant rhino was first discovered in modern day Pakistan. A behemoth of a creature, the giant rhino was made world-famous after a 1922 expedition led by Roy Chapman Andrews, according to USA Today. (RELATED: ‘Sistine Chapel Of The Ancients’ Dating Back 12,500 Years Discovered In The Amazon Rainforest)
Giant rhinos reportedly roamed the earth during the late Oligocene of the Paleogene Period.
