Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Woolly Rhino Discovery In England

Posted by timothy on from the waiting-in-line-at-nhs dept.

purpleant writes "According to this story at the BBC, the remains of four woolly rhinos have been unearthed in an English quarry. Scientists describe the group find at Whitemoor Haye in Staffordshire as "extraordinary" and one of the best Ice Age discoveries of its type in Northern Europe in recent years. In addition to the great beasts, researchers have also dug out a remarkable range of superbly preserved plants and insects. One of the rhinos even has plant material still stuck to its teeth, giving possible clues to its last meal."

7 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. Source of Unicorn Myth?? by Cy+Guy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Doesn't it seem likely that if "wooly rhinos" inhabited Europe that they must be the source of the stories about unicorns?

    The artist rendering in the BBC article looks more like a Yak or giant Boar with long horns between its eyes, but if stoneage people either found these living in southern europe, or made similar discoveries of skeletons, the combination of their rarity and their unique physiology could easily lead to them becoming shrouded in myth and mystery.

    --
    Work for Change & GET PAID!
    1. Re:Source of Unicorn Myth?? by siskbc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Interesting, but a bit off I think. The myth started, to my knowledge, closer to the middle east area, where rhinos are decidedly un-wooly. The myth was present in China, at least, before they had contact with Europe (~1000 BC or so).

      It is very possible that the rhino is the origin. Although why someone would confuse a rhino with a horse is beyond me. But mythological combo-creatures are very common (unicorn, pegasus, centaur...), so it could certainly happen.

      Also, I think the wooly guy died off a bit too early for it to have entered mythology - wouldn't swear to it, but it would likely be a first.

      --

      -Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat

    2. Re:Source of Unicorn Myth?? by skwang · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This is a little OT from the main story.

      I believe that the narwhal tusk was considered the "unicorn's horn." Narwhals are whales whose "nasal" tusks can grow up to six feet (2m) in length. They are made of ivory and are straight, but have a spiral grove going down the entire length. See this link for a picture.

      I am not a marine biologist, so I don't know if the tusk simply falls off after death or something, but Europeans managed to get their hands on them. (Obviously they could have been gathered though hunting as well). They thought that these tusks were the mythical unicorn horns. Unicorn horns were thought to be incarnations of Christ, or something similarly religious, and therefore had life giving powers.

      If you go to the Treasury Museum in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, you can see the Hapsburg's collection of crowns, orbs, and scepters[1]. In this collection there are narwhal tusks which were made into scepters and lances since the Holy Roman Emperors thought they were unicorn horns. What I just said here is a summery of what I learned off of the audio recording at the museum.

      [1] Visit this museum if you get the chance. You can see lots of treasures collected by the Hapsburgs over their reign of Holy Roman Empire and Austria.

    3. Re:Source of Unicorn Myth?? by jonnyfish · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, it's very likely that the unicorn myth comes from animals like the white oryx, which are similar to horses and appear to have only one horn when viewed from the side. I'm no expert, though, so flame away.

  2. Bring on the clones by SloWave · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I hope they get some good DNA out of these carcasses.

  3. It's strange... by His+Excellency · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...that there was plant material on the animals teeth. I would of thought that an ice age would cover the land with snow and kill them via starvation. Does this suggest that the colder temperatures came very suddenly and without warning, as there were still plants and inscects around to eat?

  4. how the heck did they freeze so quickly?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    If one still had food on him -- that's not exactly a death due to slow freezing, nor due to the region getting slowly colder, nor due to their wanderig along into a colder region !

    What the heck happened that they froze so quickly ?!