Fossils show ancient rhinos were bigger than giraffes

Image source, Yu Chen

Image caption, This is what an artist thinks the ancient ancestors of rhinos may have looked like

Fossils found in China show that ancient rhinos could have been taller than giraffes.

These giant rhinos would have roamed the earth about 26.5 million years ago and would have been around 23 foot tall.

They are a different species to the rhinos that are around today and are a completely new discovery for scientists.

The fossils were found in Gansu Province, China.

Although the rhinos that are around today would have evolved from the ones identified by these fossils, they are quite different.

Not only were they huge, but they were also hornless.

Their size would mean they could munch on leaves on the highest branches rather than those nearer to the ground.

They weighed a lot more too with the ancient giant rhinos around 21,000 kg. That's around the same as 4 elephants - or 656 average sized 10 year olds!

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, This is a two horned white rhino and they grow up to weigh around 2,300 kg

The study published in Communications Biology journal earlier this week, says that the fossils found in 2015 show an entirely new species of giant rhinos different to any found before.

One of the fossils found was a skull and that revealed that their noses would have been similar to a tapirs.

The researchers think that the giant rhino would have lived in Pakistan, and that it had travelled across Central Asia.