China, June 19: An extinct hornless, giant rhinoceros species of the genus Paraceratherium was recently identified from the fossilised remains – a complete skull and jawbones in the Jiaozigou Formation of the Linxia Basin in Gansu province, China. So it was named Paraceratherium linxiaense. It is considered one of the largest mammals that have ever walked on land. It had a huge head, a long neck and two tusk-like teeth pointed downwards, and a deep nasal bone. It could have weighed about 24 tons which is equal to four African elephants of today. They lived around 26.5 million years ago and were herbivorous. The giant rhinoceros lived mainly in Asia, especially in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.
News inputs from by Swasti Sharma.
