A photo from open sources
The ancient ancestors of the Kazakhs, who lived in the territory where today is the Republic of Kazakhstan, could be witnesses to life so called Siberian rhinos that may have become one of prototypes of a mythical unicorn.
We are talking about Elasmotherium (Elasmotherium) – large mammals belonging to the rhinoceros family artiodactyls. Elasmotherium lived on the territory of modern Eurasia from the Pliocene period to the Pleistocene period, however the exact time the gap between world scientists is not yet able to determine. Height an adult rhino could deliver up to two and a half meters, length – up to six meters, and weight – over five tons. Distinctive The elasmotherium was characterized by a long and thick curved outgrowth on forehead – a kind of horn, hence the name – unicorn.
As it became known recently, in Siberia, the Volga region, Kazakhstan and the southwestern part of China once lived a subspecies Elasmotherium sibiricum, whose representatives were less large, but more physically active compared to others Elasmotherias inhabiting Eurasia. The authors of the study Russian and Kazakh paleontologists from Tomsk and Pavlodar. His the results were published recently in a popular scientific journal “American Journal of Applied Science”.
A photo from open sources
Unicorn turned out to be a rhino
In this work, our compatriots, together with their colleagues from Kazakhstan told the world community about the remains of the Siberian rhino found in the Pavlodar region RK. The skull found during excavations is about twenty years old. nine thousand years old. As you know, at this time in Kazakhstan was already inhabited by ancient people. So you can to conclude that the ancient ancestors of modern Kazakhs and Siberians had the opportunity to observe these amazing creatures.
It was previously believed that the Elasmotherium became extinct in Siberia, the Volga region and Kazakhstan about three hundred and fifty thousand years ago, and they couldn’t side by side with people. Russian-Kazakh scientists seem to have managed to refute this error.
Now it remains only to find out how Elasmotherium sibiricum managed to survive for so long, having lived to appear in these parts person. The theory is advanced that there were very favorable climatic and other conditions that protected rhinos from extinction over several hundred thousand years. So the ancestors they saw the present Kazakhs and, perhaps, even hunted unicorns, albeit not mythical.
Time Kazakhstan Siberia
