Fossil of a new species of a Giant Rhino has been recently excavated in Gansu province in northwest China – according to research published in the journal Communication Biology. They have dubbed it Paraceratherium Linxiaense – the first name derived from its wider group of giant rhinos, and the second name depicts the region where it was found. 

Tao Deng, the director of the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and palaeoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, explained that “the Linxia region has been famous for fossils since 1950s. These rhinos were long-necked herbivores, hornless and weighted approx. 20 tons – equal to several elephants and most likely lived in open woodland”.

This discovery has been known as one of the great fanfare for discoverers. The new fossil is much larger than modern rhinos. He said, “Rhino fossil comprises a skull, a jawbone and teeth, and the Alta’s Vertebrae – where the head connects to the spine, while the other comprises three vertebrae”.

Deng’s team wasalready on the search for fossils in Linxia, since the 1980s but could only find fragments of giant rhinoceros fossils before now. According to Deng, “the new giant rhino species is not quite the largest- it was slightly smaller than Dzungariotherium Orgosense, a fossil found in the 1970s in China but it was around a fifth larger than a relatively common Paraceratherium bugtiense, the first remains of which were identified in Pakistan in the early 1900s. None of the giant rhinos had horns on their nose. However, they are the ancestors of modern rhinos: the horns we name them after are a much later adaption”. 

Historical studies have proved that gigantic mammals were common in the earlier period of the prehistoric era, most dying out when the climate became much drier during the Oligocene period, from about 34- 23 million years ago. That led to the fall and death of the earth’s extensive forests since most wild animals relied upon the food which they sourced from these forests and later these forests became extinct, which led to the extinction of these animals as well but giant rhinos survived.

Deng said, “it closely related the new species of giant rhino to the species found in Pakistan, which raises the possibility that a close ancestor species roamed across Tibet region.”

Written By – Jeet Sandhu