Fun Elasmotherium Facts For Kids

Iram Ashfaq
Oct 20, 2022 By Iram Ashfaq
Originally Published on Aug 12, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
Elasmotherium Fact File
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 8.2 Min

The Elasmotherium, also known as the 'Siberian Unicorn,' is a prehistoric mammal that roamed the Earth in Eurasia and North America around 40,000 thousand years ago. Let's find out a few facts about the Elasmotherium!

The E. sibiricum is a prehistoric ancient mammal that resembles an elephant and lived 25 million years ago.

Females were significantly smaller than males because they didn't have large mouths full of teeth so their diet consisted primarily of grasses instead of leaves or tree branches like the male E. caucasicum did. The Elasmothrium was related to elephants but had a much larger horn and tusks.

The E. sibiricum has been extinct for thousands of years because it couldn’t adapt well when humans started hunting them for food and ivory from their teeth starting around 40o thousand years ago.

The E. caucasicum were also hunted by other animals like wolves or saber-tooth cats which made it hard for this animal to survive in nature without human interference as they were prey too!

The woolly rhinoceros, Elasmotherium, is thought to be herbivorous and much taller than its modern-day descendants because it had longer legs for running long distances quickly through grasses or forests after larger prey such as deer.

The giant rhinoceros would also use its coat like camouflage when stalking prey from afar so it didn't sense them coming closer until it was too late.

The Elasmotherium were large mammals with four pillar-like legs which enabled them to run at fast speeds over great distances across vast plains. Their heads had one horn like those seen in unicorns though these horned herbivores may not be quite as enchanting given how much more menacing they look than your average mythical creature.

For more relatable content, check out these woolly mammoth facts and Javan rhinoceros facts for kids.
 

Elasmotherium Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Elasmotherium?

The Elasmotherium is a type of ancient giant rhinoceros. With its long horn, the Elasmotherium is something out of prehistoric times because it was around in ancient Eurasia and Africa more than 35 million years ago!

What class of animal does an Elasmotherium belong to?

The Elasmotherium is an extinct genus of rhinoceros, which belongs in the class Mammalia.

How many Elasmotheriums are there in the world?

There are no Elasmotherium rhinos in the world. They have been extinct for millennia! Unfortunately, there aren’t any left in existence today, but we have fossils to give us clues as to what they were like after getting different parts of the fossils together.

Where does an Elasmotherium live?

This prehistoric monster was a fierce, furry beast that could outrun its prey. It was mostly found in forests and jungles! You'd find this elusive creature living primarily in northeast Asia with some sightings reported near Siberia's Taimyr Peninsula (eastward).

What is an Elasmotherium's habitat?

The Elasmotherium's habitat is typically in the form of open plains and deserts. They are well adapted to these harsh environments, with tough skin that can withstand extreme heat or cold for periods of time without water.

Who do Elasmotheriums live with?

The Elasmotherium lived with each other in groups. They were a social species and needed others to survive, but they also knew how to have fun on their own sometimes!

How long does an Elasmotherium live?

The Elasmotherium is one of the largest rhinos ever to exist on planet earth. We do not know how old these grass-loving massive rhinos could get, as there has been no data found for their life expectancy yet.

How do they reproduce?

It is believed that Elasmotherium reproduced like the modern-day rhinoceros, with females giving birth to only one infant at a time. The female would stay pregnant for about two years before it gave live birth and returned back into heat within three weeks of its baby’s departure!

Research suggests that Elasmotherium reproduced at a much slower rate than other members of its family and may have taken as long as 15 years before it could produce offspring again.

What is their conservation status?

The Elasmotherium, also known as the Siberian unicorn, is one of the largest mammals that ever existed. It was a herbivore and its fossil remains date back to around 3 million years ago.

They do not exist any more so their IUCN conservation status is Extinct. They went into extinction following climate changes after the ice age began to wind down around 15000 BC (the end of what geologists call 'glacial time', or just before our present Holocene epoch).

Elasmotherium Fun Facts

What do Elasmotheriums look like?

It's a prehistoric mammal from Eurasia that looked like a mix of rhinos and elephants. It was one of the largest mammals to ever walk on Earth!

We can't be sure what an Elasmotherium looked like because all the information on them comes from just one fossilized skeleton which was unearthed over 100 years ago.

The best guess based on this find would be that its body type is closely related to a modern-day African bush elephant with a much larger horn than any other species alive today!

Its body was covered in fur and hair and it had this peculiar single tusk-like horn just like a unicorn, hence the name Siberian unicorn because of the single horn!

Elasmotherium illustration

How cute are they?

It is said that Elasmotherium was not cute, but rather ferocious and handsome. The E. sibiricum rhinos were powerful rhinos with a giant horn on their heads, bulky bodies covered in thick fur coats to keep them warm during the cold winters of Russia.

How do they communicate?

The Elasmotherium communicated in a special way by making different sounds such as grunts or low-pitched moans to acknowledge the presence of others around them. They also used these same types of noises for warning, mating rituals, and territorial disputes with other elephant relatives.

How big is an Elasmotherium?

The Elasmotherium size was one of the largest among the land mammals that ever lived, measuring in at 19 ft (6 m) body length and 8 ft (2.5m) tall! The Elasmotherium was a mighty creature, both in size and ferocity. It was easy enough for this Siberian species to knock over trees!

How fast can an Elasmotherium run?

No one knows how fast an Elasmotherium could run, but it probably wasn't very fast. These rhinos were grass-grazing giants and weighed up to 4–5 tons (3.6–4.5 tonnes)! They are extinct now because of the ice age that happened in prehistoric times with all the glaciers expanding outward.

How much does an Elasmotherium weigh?

The Elasmotherium rhinoceros often referred to as the 'giant rhino,' was a prehistoric mammal that had an estimated mass of about 11,200 lb (5080 kg). Weighing more than any other land beast on Earth today and nearly double the weight of its closest living relative-the African elephant-this enormous creature is seen in fossil records from Africa.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Both male and female rhinoceros are known as Elasmotherium. No separate names are given to either of the genders!

The male Elasmotherium has a longer body length than its female counterparts and has a single horn in the center of its head that runs from between the eyes to above where it would have ears.

Females, on the other hand, only grow one long fang protruding out of both sides of their mouth near its base which is used for defense against predators or male suitors when needed.

What would you call a baby Elasmotherium?

The baby of these ancient Siberian rhinoceros species, Elasmotherium, was popularly referred to as baby woolly mammoth as it resembled a woolly mammoth baby! They looked like a cross between an elephant and a black rhinoceros but were absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking! They used their horn for self-defense.

What do they eat?

The Elasmotherium was a large, furry creature that ate leaves, fruits, grasses, and green trees. The species is now extinct because it couldn't compete with other herbivores in the ecosystem.

Are they poisonous?

No, these rhinoceros were never reported to be poisonous by researchers! While the Elasmotherium may not have been poisonous, it was still a very dangerous creature. The rhinoceros Elasmotherium was a massive beast that resembled elephants.

Would they make a good pet?

We will never know because unfortunately they are extinct and we will never get to see one and keep one as our pet back home!

Did you know...

The last sighting of this species was in 1821 when a hunter shot one and brought it back to France as an exhibition piece. One theory is that they were hunted by humans; another idea assumes climate change led them into extinction due to their large size requiring lots of food or water which eventually became too scarce.

One of Russia's most prized possessions is the Elasmotherium or 'Siberian unicorn'. The famous Elasmotherium skeleton is on display at Moscow University. This prehistoric elephant has been a boon to the university's science department for years.

These Siberian species of the family Rhinocerotidae are believed by many experts on paleontology to be related to rhinos or horses due to their similarities when it comes to physical appearance but they have been extinct for so long now there's no way of knowing for sure!

The Elasmotherium's extinction

If you're into history, then we've got just the animal for you.

The Elasmotherium is also known as 'The Beast of Baluchistan' is a relative newcomer in that they went extinct around 400,000 years ago and are one of the last mammals to go extinct during what's called Earth’s Quaternary Extinction.

We don't know exactly how this extinction occurred but it could be due to climate change or because humans hunted them down among other reasons since there were no weapons back then so any predator had an advantage over prey species even if their teeth weren't sharp enough!

The Elasmotherium lived in Eurasia and eventually died.

How to pronounce Elasmotherium

The question we're wondering is how do you pronounce 'Elasmotherium'? The answer? It's hard to say because there are no records that tell us for sure how this Siberian species should be pronounced so people have come up with different names like Alazismoterius or even more creative ones like Allasmerytherion.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our Asian elephant facts and Sumatran elephant facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable elasmotherium coloring pages.

Fun Elasmotherium Facts For Kids

What Did They Prey On?

Leaves, fruits, grass, and green trees

what Type of Animal were they?

Herbivore

Average Litter Size?

1

What Did They Look Like?

Gray, white, and brown

How Much Did They Weigh?

11,200 lb (5080 kg)

Skin Type

Fur and hair

How Long Were They?

19 ft (6 m)

How Tall Were They?

8 ft (2.5 m)

Kingdom

Animalia

Class

Mammalia

Genus

Elasmotherium

Family

Rhinocerotidae

Scientific Name

Elasmotherium
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Written by Iram Ashfaq

Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Master of Public Health

Iram Ashfaq picture

Iram AshfaqBachelor of Dental Surgery, Master of Public Health

With a Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery from Shaney Institute of Health Sciences and a Master's degree in Public Health from Imperial College London, Iram is a highly qualified and accomplished writer from Srinagar, India. Over the course of a year, she has acquired multiple writing certifications, focusing on health sciences and research studies. Prior to joining Kidadl, Iram gained valuable experience working as a content writer for Indian firms and interning at a New York-based company. Her expertise and passion for writing shine through in her ability to create compelling content across a variety of topics.

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