Elasmotherium

Elasmotherium
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Mammalia
Sub-class	Theriiformes
Infra-class	Holotheria
Order Information
Superorder	Preptotheria
Order	Perissodactyla
Sub-order	Ceratomorpha
Family Information
Superfamily	Rhinocerotoidea
Family	Rhinocerotidae
Sub-family	Rhinocerotinae
Tribe Information
Tribe	Rhinocerotini
Subtribe	Rhinocerotina
Genus Information
Genus	Elasmotherium
Species Information
Species	E. caucasicum E. inexpectatum E. peii E. sibiricum
Population statistics

Elasmotherium (Elasmo=plate, therium=beast) any one of four species of very large, single-horned rhinoceros, once native to the central Asian and European steppes. It was named in 1878 by Johannes Fridericus Brandt.

Description

Elasmotherium was a quadruped herbivore. It is thought to have been a grazer. It is sometimes called the ‘giant unicorn’ because of the single, large horn growing from its head. The horn, made of keratin, could be about six feet long in length. In total, the animal was about six feet tall and twenty feet long, weighing from 3.5 to 4.5 tons. Despite being such a large animal, Elasmotherium was capable of reaching swift running speeds, producing the most kinetic energy of all land mammals, at twenty-five miles per hour.

Habitat

Elasmotherium liked the Pleistocene steppe regions in Europe and Asia. It consumed grasses as an herbivore and is thought to have been a grazer. A likely capable runner and adept swimmer, Elasmotherium could likely thrive in different steppe-regions.

Evolutionary claims

Evolution scientists claim that Elasmotherium is a relative to the Indian rhinoceros due to similarities in size and range/distribution.