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Also appearing in the Oligocene to the early Miocene were the more spectacular Giant
rhinoceroses, the most impressive of which were the Balucatherium.
Balucatherium, also known as Baluchitherium, named after the state
in Pakistan where they were first discovered, is the largest known land
mammal. This immense mammal stood almost 6m (18 ft.) at the shoulders,
and probably weighed more than 18,000 kg (20 tons). The head of this
monstrous animal was around 1.5 m (5 ft.) long, but even this would
have been disproportionately small compared to the rest of its body.
Its head was so high off the ground that it would have browsed off the branches
of trees 7.5 m (25 ft.) high.
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(Above: A recontructed skeleton of a Balucatherium displayed at the Berkeley museum)
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