Chinese paleontologists discover fossilized remains of largest land mammal to ever inhabit the Earth
Ronan Coddington
2 August 2021
In mid-June, a research team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences lead by professor Deng Tao published their findings of a new species of Paraceratherium along the border of the Tibetan plateau.
Today, the largest mammal to walk the Earth is the African bush elephant. While a sight to behold, this contemporary behemoth of the African plains pales in comparison to the Paraceratherium, the largest mammal to ever walk the Earth. While appearing to be some strange mix of a giraffe and an elephant, Paraceratherium was in fact a giant early rhinoceros. The ancient rhino’s skull alone was roughly the size of a human torso while the animal’s shoulders would have reached five meters above the ground. Paraceratherium linxiense is named after the Linxia Basin in central China where its fossils were discovered.
According to the University of Montpellier’s rhino paleontologist Pierre Olivier, in comments made to National Geographic, Paraceratherium would have been able “to eat flowers at the third or fourth floor of a building” today. The animal’s very own steps would have been felt through the earth, as estimates suggest it could have weighed a whopping 20 tonnes.
Deng’s team found that early species of Paraceratherium spread to central and south Asia around 43 million years ago. Millions of years later, it crossed what is now the Tibetan plateau seeking a humid environment. These findings suggest the Tibetan plateau was not elevated at the time, and its increased elevation is the cause of its modern aridity.
More:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/08/03/para-a03.html
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I was fascinated to read in Prothero's book how few good specimens of these giants we actually have. Partial remains are hard to identify, so the taxonomies keep getting revised. Interesting they're calling it a new species, but avoiding creating a new genus, so either they're being cautiously conservative or the bones are in good enough shape to largely eliminate uncertainty.
