Safari LTD | Wild Safari Prehistoric World ~ MEGACEROPS

Megacerops has a convoluted history of discovery, due to competing paleontologists all attempting to be the first to name what would turn out to be multiple examples of the same species. The history would be even further complicated by the work of Henry Fairfield Osborn, who described the Brontothere family but based many of his assumptions on incorrect data. His work would not be fully corrected until the 2000s, when a proper family tree for the Brontotheriidae family was created by Matthew Mihlbachler.

Though Megacerops had large forked “horn” on its nose, it is not thought that they used them for head to head battles, as the bases of these horns were composed of soft, spongy bones that could not stand up to such use. Scientists believe they were probably used more for display, and healed rib bones on some Megacerops skeletons indicate that they may have been used in combat by swinging them into the sides of their opponents, rather than horn-to-horn.

• Megacerops was very similar to modern day rhinos, but was not closely related. It actually belonged to a group of prehistoric animals called Brontotheres (“Thunder Beasts”). These animals were larger than today’s rhinos, and were the largest land mammals alive during the Eocene epoch. They lived around 35 million years ago.

  • Scientific Name: Megacerops (“Large Horned Face”)
  • Characteristics: This Megacerops is proudly holding his forked nose-horn high for all to see. Maybe he wants to impress some females! Individually hand-painted and sculpted based on the most current scientific research, this figure is incredibly detailed right down to its pebbly hide.
  • Size and Color:  The figure measures 3 ¾ inches tall to the tip of its horn, and 6 ½ inches long to the tip of its tail. It’s slightly larger than a standard index card. The main colors used are a pale grayish brown for the hide, with a darker gray to bring out details. The inside of its ears are pink, its eyes are brown, and the tip of its tail is a dark brown. Its toenails are dark grey.
  • The Megacerops is part of the Wild Safari® Prehistoric World collection.
  • All of our products are Non-toxic and BPA free.