New fossils reveal one of the largest land mammals ever found — and it's a giant rhino

About 25 million years ago, giant rhinos more than 16 feet tall roamed the Earth. They are considered the largest land mammal that ever lived — but their evolutionary history and dispersal across Asia have left scientists puzzled. 

Paleontologists have now found fossils for a new, sixth species of the extinct giant rhino, Paraceratherium linxiaense, which are shedding light on how the animal moved across China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. The team of researchers, led by Deng Tao from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, published its 2015 findings in a new study this week in the journal Communications Biology.  Researchers uncovered one fossil of a completely preserved skull, jawbone and teeth with their associated atlas, the part of the body where the head connects to the spine. Another fossil consists of three vertebrae.