Lisa Frank FacebookWhen you think of unicorns, your mind usually goes to an image of a sparkly, magical creature like the ones Lisa Frank created for your Trapper Keepers in middle school, right? Or maybe you picture majestic, ethereal stallions that carry around princesses like in the GIF below:
Well, kids, grasp onto those wonderful pictures because science is about to kick down the door of imagination and light your mind on fire with the flaming torch of reality.
(Don't get us wrong, science is cool as hell. But research results like these make us wonder if maybe some discovers are better left unannounced?)
A new study in the American Journal of Applied Science reveals that not only did unicorns actually roam the earth much more recently than originally thought, but the creatures looked quite different than what pop culture has led us to believe.
WAIT. Movies and TV shows lied to us?!
Researchers from Russia's Tomsk State University have found a Siberian unicorn skull in Kazakhstan that they dated 29,000 years ago. Before this discovery, experts believed the species went extinct 350,000 years ago.
Oh, and they also think unicorns looked like this:
Yep, not exactly a fairy tale. Just what appears to be a giant, furry rhino that looks like it might impale you with its giant horn at any moment. Have you ever seen Joss Whedon's Cabin in the Woods? Just Google "Cabin in the Woods unicorn scene" and you'll know what we're talking about.
According to experts, unicorns were less horse and more like mammoths in stature. They measured up to 6.5 feet tall, 15 feet long and weighed a whopping 9,000 pounds.
At least we now know that unicorns actually existed. Unfortunately, they looked like a nightmare beast that escaped from the depths of hell.
No, we're just kidding. All animals are beautiful and miracles of life.
Except this one.