Elasmotherium

Elasmotherium is an extinct giant rhinoceros.

It lived from 2.6 million years ago (mya) to about 50,000 years ago. Fossils have been found in Europe and Asia. This giant lived and grazed on the Eurasian steppes (grasslands).

 Description 
Elasmotherium was a heavily-built quadruped that walked on four hoofed legs.  Its legs were longer than those of other rhinos and were adapted for galloping, giving it a horse-like gait.

It probably had a large horn on its forehead, but fossils of the horn have not been found. The teeth were tall-crowned and were covered with cement and wrinkled enamel. Its mouth at the front was a beak; there are no teeth in front of the molars.

Morphology
The specimens of E. sibiricum are up to  in body length with shoulder heights over . E. caucasicum was at least  in body length with an estimated mass of . This is based on isolated molars which are larger than those of the Siberian species.Zhegallo V. et al 2005. On the fossil rhinoceros Elasmotherium (including the collections of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Cranium 22 (1): 17–40.   

Both species were among the largest in the family Rhinocerotidae, comparable in size to the woolly mammoth and larger than the woolly rhinoceros.Cerdeño, Esperenza 1998. Diversity and evolutionary trends of the Family Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla). Palaeo 141, 13–34.   The feet were unguligrade,Like horses, they walk on hooves, that is, on the tips of their toes or toe. the front larger than the rear, with 4 digits at the front and 3 at the rear.

 References 

Category:Rhinoceroses