We’ve known for a while that there was a real, live unicorn and not just one in videos nobody admits to watching. Called the Siberian Unicorn, Elasmotherium sibiricum was an animal that was half-way between a rhino and a horse with one giant horn. But it supposedly died off 350,000 years ago, or so we thought, until now.
Scientists at Tomsk State University found a fossil of this unicorn in excellent condition, and have managed to radio-carbon date it to 29,000 years ago. Their theory is that while it died off in most of its range, it was able to survive for a while in the southernmost reaches for longer, an especially interesting prospect because it might indicate other species were able to stay alive in more extreme parts of their range. While the first reference to a unicorn is from the fifth century BCE, this might help explain why this unusual creature somehow turned up everywhere in folklore, as well as some other aspects of mythology.
But, if nothing else, you can take comfort in the idea that a unicorn, however unlike the pure white creature who wanted to chill with virgins it actually was, did exist. Now, if we could just confirm Krypton is a real planet and start sending its babies to Kansas, we’d really be onto something.
(via ScienceAlert)
