Fossils from two giant rhinos dating back roughly 22 million years have been unearthed in China, according to a study published Thursday.
They are one of the latest relics of this colossal animal, which was found amid great fanfare early last century. Much larger than modern rhinos, giant rhinos often stood more than 20 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed more than 20 tons, making them even larger than mammoths and the biggest land mammal that ever lived.
The new fossils were found in May 2015 in the Linxia region of Gansu province in northwest China. 1 fossil is made up of skull, jawbone and teeth, and also the atlas vertebra — where the head connects to the backbone — while another includes three vertebrae.
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From such remains, the scientists have reconstructed the early animals. And they’ve discerned enough differences in their skeletons to classify them as a new species, according to research published in the journal Communications Biology. They’ve dubbed it Paraceratherium linxiaense — the first title out of its wider collection of giant rhinos, and the second in the region where it had been found.