For the first time ever, researchers from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London have created a 3-D model of Sivatherium giganteum, a prehistoric animal that is related to modern-day giraffes. While current giraffes are known for their long necks and thin legs, they didn't evolve into these features until approximately 7.5 million years ago, as evidenced in the S. giganteum, which evolved separately from the lineage that ended up leading to today's giraffes and features a flat face, huge horns and short, stubby legs.
The image was created using 3-D models of 26 fossilized bones in combination with over 1,000 pictures of S. giganteum fossils. The team put the digital skeleton together in order to better understand the unique prehistoric animal and were able to estimate the animal's physiology, body shape and appearance. They discovered that the animal likely weighed more than a ton and may have been the largest giraffe to ever walk the Earth.
"When the first fossil remains of Sivatherium were found in the early 1800s, palaeontologists had never seen anything like it, and struggled to classify what kind of animal it was," Chris Basu, who led the project, said in a press release. "Due to the large size of its skull, and its elaborate horns, they assumed that Sivatherium was a link between elephants, rhinos and antelope. Now we are finding out more about the animal through studies like this."
Scientists were not sure how to classify the animal when it was first discovered in the 1800s. Now, with studies such as this latest one, paleontologists are certain that it is closely related to modern-day giraffes.
"Extinct animals like Tyrannosaurus rex get a lot of attention but there are plenty of other bizarre fossil creatures that are surprisingly neglected in scientific research," said John Hutchinson, who participated in the research. "It's very satisfying to have been part of this collaboration to reconstruct the very strange Sivatherium and bring it the attention and scientific rigor it deserves."
The findings were published in the Jan. 13 issue of Biology Letters.
