My take on unicorns
Hello, I've been on this subreddit for a very long time but I think this is my first time posting.
The following is my interpretation of unicorns if they were real animals. This is just for fun so I can enjoy my love of both mythology, paleontology, and unicorns. (Also please excuse my artstyle, I know it's pretty stylized and not very realistic)
Unicorns (subgenus Monoceros) are anchitheriine equids known for their distinctive spiraled horns native to Asia, the Arctic circle, the Americas, and possibly other regions. They can be found in tundras, woodlands, deciduous and temperate forests, and mountainous regions. Their defining feature is their large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from the snout, in a configuration similar to that of rhino's. Also similarly to rhinos, the horns of unicorns are made of keratin. Unicorns are browsers, in contrast to most other horses which are grazers. They have tridactyl hooves allowing for dexterity in uneven woodland or mountainous terrain. They also have a long, dark-colored prehensile tongue useful for plucking buds and leaves, as well as for grooming. Unicorns are mostly solitary animals but sometimes gather in small groups. Unicorns exhibit a diverse array of coat colors, with their pelts having a mix of stripes and spots for camouflage. Unicorns are excellent swimmers and will sometimes to wade into water to eat aquatic plants. As an adaptation for feeding on plants underwater, the nostrils are equipped with fatty pads and muscles that close the nostrils when exposed to water pressure, preventing water from entering the nose.
Arctic Unicorn fending off a dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus)
American Unicorn utilizing their prehensile tongue
There are three subspecies (possibly more); the Indian unicorn (M. unicornis ctesiasi), the Arctic unicorn (M. unicornis arcticus), and the American unicorn (M. unicornis americanus), with each unicorn subspecies adapted to their specific environment. Unicorns are mostly extinct, with the the American unicorn dying during the quaternary extinction event, and the arctic unicorn succumbing to extinction in the middle ages, both due to overhunting by humans, and poaching for their horns in the case of the latter. The Indian unicorn still hangs on by a thread, with small populations hiding deep in the forests of Asia.
I wanted to stay true to traditional unicorn depictions (As apposed to modern depictions that's just a regular horse with a horn which I find very boring) while still trying to build a believable animal.
The two biggest departures from traditional depictions, are that my unicorns have their horns on their noses rather than their foreheads because rhinos (whom horses are closely related to) have this arrangement, and they have tridactyl hooves rather than cloven ones. The tridactyl, three-toed feet also serve as the scientific explanation for why historical myths "incorrectly" (within the context of my world) depicted them with cloven hooves. Ancient observers saw the three distinct, hoof-encased toes and, unfamiliar with three-toed equids, misidentified them as "split" or "cloven" hooves.
I looked at a lot of real animals when thinking up these guys and my unicorns take inspiration from Mesohippus, Moose (though I like to call them meese), okapis, zebras, Appaloosas, Antelopes, and Rhinos. Perhaps a few more, I can't remember, but those are the main ones. Feeling nervous about my first post but here it goes
