A fossil animal skull exhibited in Guangzhou has aroused the interest of many animal lovers because it is very peculiar. The fossil is about 60 cm long, with 4 horns on its head, two opposites, the front is small, the back horn is large, and the large horn and the small horn form an angle of about 90 degrees. At the intersection of the two diagonal angles, there is a pair of large eyes with a radius of about 3 centimeters and a depth of about 2 centimeters.
What kind of animal is it?
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >01 A giraffe native to China, with 4 horns on its head, but similar in size to the African okapi
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It is called the Shanxi Beast, which was excavated in the Miocene strata of Fugu County, Shanxi, about 23 million years ago. According to expert analysis, the Shanxi beast is an ancient giraffe, a giraffe native to China.
According to the Shanxi animal fossils, this animal has a head length of 70-80 cm, a height of 2-3 meters, a body length of 3-4 meters, and a weight of 400-600 kg.
It is not a ferocious carnivore, and this can be studied from its teeth. Its skull is small and triangular in shape. The occipital area is wider, but the face is wide and short, the tip of the snout is slightly curved downwards, and the nostrils are in front, looking very much like the African okapi.
The eyes of the Shanxi beast have 2 pairs of angles above, the front 1 pair of angles is short, and the back is 1 pair of angles long, which looks like a hook from the side. According to the China Forestry Network, the role of the 2-diagonal on the head of the Shanxi beast is likely to be the same as that of today's deer wild animals, which is a weapon used in the fight between the same kind.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >02 Shanxi beasts do not have giraffe necks and legs, but resemble African okapi</h1>
According to the restoration map of the Shanxi beast, it can be seen that the Shanxi beast and the giraffe really look alike, but if you look closely, it seems that it is not very similar. Because the neck and legs of the Shanxi beast are relatively short, it is obviously not as long as the giraffe, and it looks like a short version of the giraffe.
The neck and limbs of the Shanxi beast were not as long as the current giraffe, not even half as tall as the current giraffe, and the body size is more similar to the okapi in Africa today, but many scholars believe that it is the ancestor of the modern giraffe.
As we all know, the tallest animal on land is the giraffe, the giraffe can reach 6-8 meters from head to toe when standing, and the neck is particularly long, generally about 2 meters, so that the giraffe is almost 2 stories high.
According to the speculation of Shanxi animal fossils, ancient giraffes did not have the height and length of today's giraffes, and even the long necks were not obvious, more like the current African okapi, rather than the current giraffes.
In fact, from the classification point of view, the Shanxi beast belongs to the giraffe family under the order even-hoofed, and the giraffe living in Africa today can be regarded as distant cousins. As for whether it is the ancestor of the giraffe, this is still controversial and lacks direct scientific basis.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >03 long legs and long necks, why did the Shanxi beast begin to become extinct more than 5 million years ago? </h1>
In the late Miocene, 5 million years ago, when Shanxi's green forests and plains were inhabited by a large number of large mammals, the Shanxi beast was one of the tallest animals.
Flocks of Shanxi beasts with long legs, with long necks, they can always eat many leaves that animals can't eat, and they won't starve to death, which is a huge advantage of Shanxi beasts.
Shanxi beast has fewer natural enemies, even if it encounters natural enemies, the tall and strong Shanxi beast will choose to escape, at this time its big long legs will come in handy, and the vast majority of animals cannot run over the Shanxi beast.
It is reasonable to say that the Shanxi beast has a great survival advantage in Shanxi, but it is eventually extinct. Experts believe that due to changes in the environment and climate, native-grown ancient giraffes have not adapted in time and are dying. As for the specific reasons, it remains to be studied by scientists.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Conclusion: Is the Shanxi beast a unicorn? </h1>
The Unicorn is a mythical beast in Chinese legend. In Chinese culture, the dragon represents the emperor, the phoenix represents the empress, the qilin represents the saint, and since ancient times, there is also "the qilin is in the world, and there will be auspicious rui." It is said that there were unicorns that appeared before confucius was born and before his death. Some people speculate that the ancients are likely to have dug up the fossils of Shanxi beasts and regarded the Shanxi beasts as unicorns. Do you think the Shanxi beast is a unicorn?
Snow Spirit Valley Animal Lab/Production
References: Zoological Journal of China, China Forestry Network, National Zoological Museum, Guangzhou Daily