An ancestor of the modern rhinoceros, the 15- to 20-ton Paraceratherium has a relatively long neck and surprisingly thin legs with three-toed feet. This huge herbivore possesses a prehensile upper lip; not quite a trunk, but an appendage flexible enough to allow it to grab and tear the tall leaves off of trees. It does not have a horn.

The immense paraceratherium, the largest land mammal known to have existed, stands nearly 18 feet high at the shoulder and measures 30 feet from end to end. Despite its size, it lives a peaceful life, pulling leaves from the tops of trees unless startled into action. When panicked, a paraceratherium tramples any obstacle in its path. If confronted or if defending its young, it smashes its tormentors with its elephantine feet.

Like many extinct creatures, the paraceratherium has had a number of different scientific names, including Indricotherium and Baluchitherium.