Strange Beast May Be Reason For The Unicorn Legend

One of the most widely known and loved legends is the unicorn. The single-horned horse has become part of our culture over the years, showing up in movies, books, cartoons, and just about every other place you can think of. But is it possible that this creature is based on a real animal that lived along side humans thousands of years ago?

With a huge horn rising several feet from the top of their skulls, it is easy to see how their fossilised remains could have been mistaken for the skeletons of the now mythical unicorns.

But it seems a giant species of rhinoceros, thought to have died out in Siberia 350,000 years ago may have actually clung on long enough to really enter into human legend.

Scientists claim to have discovered evidence the giant Elasmotherium sibiricum, or Siberian Unicorn as it is known locally, may have survived in part of Kazakhstan until 26,000 years ago.

This last refuge in south western Siberia could have allowed the strange creatures, which would have grown to the size of mammoths weighing up to five tons, to have encountered humans.

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