| “ | The biggest land mammals of all time. A 12 ton giant called Paraceratherium, mammals that rivals in size the dinosaurs of old. | „ |
| — Allen Johnson, about Pacacerathium in The Big, The Bad, and The Ugly | ||
Paraceratherium (name meaning "Near the Hornless Beast"), also known as Indricotherium, Baluchitherium, or simply called the Giant-Giraffe Rhinoceros, is a genus of large hornless rhinoceros that originated during the Early Oligocene epoch in what is now Asia. The largest terrestrial mammal of all time, standing over 7 meters tall and weighing around 15 tons (taller, larger, and heavier than an African elephant), Paraceratherium was essentially a giant rhinoceros trying to be a giraffe, hence its nickname, the "Giant-Giraffe Rhinoceros". They look like a cross and a combination of an elephant and a giraffe, but they're actually related to rhinos, tapirs, and zebras.
In the Series 3 episode "The Big, the Bad, and the Ugly," several Paraceratherium including a female and her calf were brought to the park from Late Oligocene Mongolia 25 million years ago. They reside in the Giraffe Grasslands Enclosure with other animals.
Facts[]
Era & Discovery[]
Paraceratherium lived during the Late Oligocene in Asia from 34 to 23 million years ago. They shared their environments with other animals such as Hyaenodon, Chalicotherium, and Entelodon. Paraceratherium were largest mammals that existed and the largest animals in their environment.
Physical Attributes[]
Paraceratherium stood 7.1 metres tall and weighed 15 tons, making them the largest mammals to have existed.
Paraceratherium were related to rhinos, but their size was in a different league. A fully grown male stood over 7 metres tall and weighed in at 15 tons, which was an equivalent to eight modern rhinos. No other land mammal even came close to Paraceratherium's massive size especially elephants and mammoths. Being big not only protected them from predators, but in the dry land Paraceratherium lived on which allowed them to go without food or water for days. Like elephants, Paraceratherium would easily live into their 80s and this longevity gave them unique knowledge of their environment.
However despite their size, juvenile Paraceratherium were vulnerable to predators such as Hyaenodon who were easily capable of killing newborn calves if they passed their mother. The biggest threat to a young Paraceratherium besides predators were adult males. During mating, calves would get trampled to death by the massive male. While competing for a mate during the mating season, both males would size each other up before starting a brutal contest. When 30 tonnes of Paracertherium fight, the forces involved were bone shattering, however the skulls of males were specially built to withstand these contests.
When a Paraceratherium calf is born, they would weigh a quarter of a ton, but their legs weren't yet use to baring any weight at all, so calves would spend the rest of their morning learning how to walk. During the absent's of their mother, Paraceratherium calves would instinctively lays still to avoid the attention of predators which was their survival strategy.
Like giraffes, Paraceratherium had a long neck that they used to browse on the tops of trees. This was another advantage of being big. Every evening, Paraceratherium wound set off in search of water, as the nights were cooler and was a far better time for these mammals.
Paraceratherium skeleton
Behavior & Traits[]
Like many modern rhinos, Paraceratherium lived a solitary life and would only get together mostly during mating. During the beginning their most vulnerable period of their lives, Paraceratherium calves would be totally depend on their mother for at least 3 years. They would need their protection and for the first year calves would rely on their mother's milk, which was an astonishing commitment for any mother. But if they just survive that long, their size would mean there would not be a predator on earth that could touch them.
Right from the beginning, Paraceratherium calves would start copying their mother to learn how to deal with the world around them. When female Paraceratherium arrives in their usual feeding area and sniff a pile of dung on the ground, their calves would do the same. One day, they would understand that since every Paraceratherium has a unique odor, this was how their mothers would tells which other animals are in the area. That would mean that a Paraceratherium calf's lesson in survival would begin.
When a calf becomes three years old, their mother would chase them away. To give their unborn calves the best chance in life, female Paracertherium had to sever the three year old bond they had with their calves. When the female had a new calf in tow, their maternal instincts would be transferred to the new born and to them, their previous calf would now just be threat and violently repels them. Because of that, calves would never again have the protection of their mother.
Journal Entry[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Paraceratherium is the largest mammal brought to the park.
- Though named Paraceratherium, it is referred to in the series as Indricotherium.
- Despite it's large size and that nothing big enough to attack them, other predatory creatures including large theropod dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex or Spinosaurus for example, are capable of injuring and even killing an adult Paraceratherium.
- The sound effects of the Paraceratherium are that of bison, bull, camel, stock dinosaur noises, elephant, moose, & walrus.