Omolaja The Sivatherium was an incredible example of the megafauna that roamed the Earth when oxygen levels were much higher. This giant originated in the Late Miocene (around 7 million years ago) in Africa and survived until the Late Early Pleistocene. Fossil remains have been recovered from the foothills of the Himalayas, dating back approximately 1 million years.
There have been suggestions that Sivatherium may have gone extinct as recently as 8,000 years ago, as similar-looking creatures appear in ancient rock paintings from the Sahara and Central Western India. However, these claims are not supported by fossil evidence, and the depictions likely represent other animals.
The Sivatherium resembled a modern okapi but was much larger and more robust. It stood about 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) tall at the shoulder, reached a total height of 3 meters (9.8 feet), and weighed between 400 to 500 kg (880 to 1,100 lbs). A more recent estimate suggested a body mass of approximately 1,250 kg to 1,360 kg (2,755 to 3,000 lbs).
This would make the Sivatherium one of the largest known ruminants, rivaling the modern giraffe and the largest bovines. It is believed that this weight estimate may be low, as it does not account for the large ossicones (horn-like structures) that males of the species possessed.
The Sivatherium had a pair of broad ossicones on its head and a second pair above its eyes. Its shoulders were extremely strong to support the powerful neck muscles required to lift its heavy skull.
