Marco Polo seemed quite disappointed in the "unicorns" he discovered: "They have hair like that of a buffalo, feet like those of an elephant, and a horn in the middle of the forehead, which is black and very thick ... The head resembles that of a wild boar, and they carry it ever bent towards the ground. They delight much to abide in mire and mud. 'Tis a passing ugly beast to look upon, and is not in the least like that which our stories tell of as being caught in the lap of a virgin; in fact, 'tis altogether different from what we fancied." This account is especially strange because Sumatran rhinos have two horns, not one. There is a species of one-horned rhino, commonly known as the Indian rhino, with the Latin name Rhinoceros unicornis.
Marco Polo Believed In Unicorns
Key Facts In This Video
Nepal's Chitwan National Park supports about 60 to 70 species of mammals. 01:16
Greater one-horned rhinos are semi-aquatic. 03:19
By wallowing in the mud, greater one-horned rhinos can stay cool and guard against parasites. 03:58
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