Paleontology in a Galaxy Far, Far Away....
I'm a huge Star Wars nerd. I'm going to say that right now and get it out of the way. I'll undoubtedly be subscribing to the Disney+ streaming service just to watch the new Star Wars live-action TV show, The Mandalorian, which just dropped a new trailer. In the trailer there is are a couple of shots of a new creature on an unspecified world from a galaxy far, far away:
These animals were much like a rhinoceros, in that they were herbivorous and had a large horn. However, unlike modern rhinos, Elasmotherium is thought to have had only one horn instead of two and where much larger. These are estimated to have reached lengths of 5.2 meters (17 ft) and a shoulder height of about 2 meters (6.5 ft). They are also thought to weight approximately 2 to 5 tons (4,000 to 10,000 pounds). In comparison, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana, the largest extant land animal) stands 2.5 to 4 meters (8.2 to 13 feet) at the shoulder and weighs 2.5 to 7 tons (5,000 to 14,000 pounds).
The above skeleton reconstruction notably lacks any horn whatsoever. Instead there is just a large knob on its head. This is true for all known specimens of Elasmotherium because no horn has been discovered. Horns are made of a tightly packed, fibrous growth of keratin (like your fingernails) rather than crystalline enamel (teeth and tusks) or bone. As such, they do not preserve as well. So, all reconstructions of the horn are purely speculative and there are many interpretations of the size and shape of the horn, such as the shown one above, and those shown here and here. In fact, many of these depictions show Elasmotherium to be woolly, although there is no direct evidence that it was. Unfortunately, there is much that we don't know about Elasmotherium. But, we do have this image taken from paleolithic artwork on a cave wall:
I will love him and squeeze him and call him George
(© Lucasfilm/Disney)
As soon as I saw this angry, furry unicorn pop up on the screen, I got a sudden, strong feeling as if I've seen this creature before. Then, the name Elasmotherium formed in my head. Elasmotherium is an extinct genus and cousin to the modern rhinoceroses that lived during the Pleistocene epoch (appx. 2.6 million years ago to appx. 39,000 years ago). One particular species, Elasmotherium sibericum, is now thought to have been one of the last of the genus that lived until about 39,000 years ago in Eurasia, when modern humans (and possibly Neanderthals) were roaming about Eurasia.
Artist interpretation of a species of Elasmotherium called E. caucasicum
(image credit: W.S. Van der Merwe / Natural History Museum)
These animals were much like a rhinoceros, in that they were herbivorous and had a large horn. However, unlike modern rhinos, Elasmotherium is thought to have had only one horn instead of two and where much larger. These are estimated to have reached lengths of 5.2 meters (17 ft) and a shoulder height of about 2 meters (6.5 ft). They are also thought to weight approximately 2 to 5 tons (4,000 to 10,000 pounds). In comparison, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana, the largest extant land animal) stands 2.5 to 4 meters (8.2 to 13 feet) at the shoulder and weighs 2.5 to 7 tons (5,000 to 14,000 pounds).
Size comparison of some modern and extinct rhinoceroses
(image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Reconstructed skeleton of E. caucasium
(image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The above skeleton reconstruction notably lacks any horn whatsoever. Instead there is just a large knob on its head. This is true for all known specimens of Elasmotherium because no horn has been discovered. Horns are made of a tightly packed, fibrous growth of keratin (like your fingernails) rather than crystalline enamel (teeth and tusks) or bone. As such, they do not preserve as well. So, all reconstructions of the horn are purely speculative and there are many interpretations of the size and shape of the horn, such as the shown one above, and those shown here and here. In fact, many of these depictions show Elasmotherium to be woolly, although there is no direct evidence that it was. Unfortunately, there is much that we don't know about Elasmotherium. But, we do have this image taken from paleolithic artwork on a cave wall:
Pictograph from France of a rhinoceros with a single, large horn
(image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Presumably, this artwork was based on a direct visual interpretation of an Elasmotherium from early humans. Regardless of the size of the horn or if it was woolly, the artistic interpretations obviously were a source of inspiration for the new Star Wars creature, and I'm perfectly fine with that. There were so many strange and unworldly creatures that once lived (and some that still do) here on Earth that are a prime source for artistic inspiration.
Life-size Elasmotherium statue
(image credit: Ústí Museum, Czech Republic)
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