Giant rhinoceros fossils found in Turkish Anatolia

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Fossilized remains of a giant rhinoceros estimated to date back 28 million years have been found in Anatolia in Türkiye’s Black Sea region, said state researchers.

"The discovery in Anatolia of fossils of a giant rhinoceros, known as the largest land mammal ever, carry great importance for determining their migration routes and distribution areas," said Nese Oyal, chief geological engineer at the Sehit Cuma Dag Natural History Museum of the Turkish Mineral Research and Exploration General Directorate.

The fossils were found during this year's excavations in the northern province of Corum, she told Anadolu.

According to the directorate, the first fossil finds were in 2015, including bones of the rhino’s biceps, forearm, tibia, fingers, wrist and foot.

She said previous giant rhino specimens were mostly unearthed in Mongolia, China, the Indian Subcontinent and Central Asia, but now the bulk of them seem to be found in Türkiye.

New specimens of giant rhino have been moved to the directorate museum in the capital Ankara, where they will be restored in palaeontology labs and archived, according to Oyal.

"Suitable examples and remarkable ones will be exhibited and presented for the public interest,” she added.