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Fossils found in China belong to new species of giant rhino, scientists say

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Posted at 10:55 PM, Jun 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-21 22:55:42-04

Scientists have discovered a new species and believe it was one of the largest to ever walk the earth.

Fossils of a giant rhinoceros species were found in 2015 in northwestern China. The discovery included a completely preserved skull, jawbone, teeth, and vertebra dating from around 26.5 million years.

Their findings were recently published in the Communications Biology journal.

The researchers say the bones they found lead them to believe the species was larger than any mammal on land today, weighing around 48,000 pounds and able to lift its head 23-feet into the air.

The team believes it had a prehensile nose trunk, similar to the modern-day tapir. They also found the new species is related to giant rhinos that once lived in Pakistan.