Ten animals that look like real-life unicorns

As much as some of us would like them to be real, we know that unicorns exist only in the pages of fairy tales and mythical stories.

However, these animals come pretty close!

1.  Indian rhinoceros

The Indian rhino is the largest of the three Asian species. It also has the most impressive horn, which can grow up to 1m long! Its horn is made of keratin, the same stuff that makes our fingernails and hair. Unfortunately, the Indian rhino’s impressive horn has made it a prime target for poachers throughout history.

2.  Saola

As mysterious and elusive as the unicorn, the Saola has never been seen in person by a scientist and has only be recorded in the wild four times, using camera traps. It is a new species discovered only in 1992. With merely an estimate of 100 in existence, the Saola is a critically endangered species.

3.  Narwhal

Like the unicorn’s horn, the narwhal’s may also appear magical. Growing up to 2.6m (about the standard height of a room from floor to ceiling), the narwhal uses its “horn” to sense its surroundings and help it navigate the oceans. It is not actually a horn, but a way overgrown tooth that spirals out of the narwhal’s mouth.

4.  Unicornfish

Unicorns can also be found in warm waters, in the shape of colourful unicornfish. Many unicornfish have a horn-like part on their heads. However scientisrs are unable to explain what the unicornfish’s horn is for.

5.  Texas unicorn mantis

Like its name suggests, the Texas unicorn mantis has a horn-like growth between their antennae, which can grow to 7.5cm long – that’s about as wide as a lady’s palm. Although it looks like one complete structure, the horn is actually made of two pieces that grow very closely together but do not join.

6.  Okapi

On some ancient symbols, unicorns have been depicted as a mish-mash of features from other animals: the body of a white horse, a goat’s beard and split hoofs, a lion’s tail and a slender horn. Likewise, the Okapi is also a patchwork of other animals: the chocolate brown-body of a horse, large ears of a cow, a pair of horns on males and a giraffe-like elongated neck.

7.  Unicorn goblin spider

You will need a microscope to see this unicorn. Growing up to just 3mm, the unicorn goblin spiders are even smaller than the common black ant. Males of this species have a tiny horn between the eyes and jaws.

8.  Helmeted curassow

Do not expect this unicorn to fly. The size of turkeys, the helmeted curassow is a bird that prefers its feet firmly planted on the dense forest floors of South America. It does have a pretty pale blue horn known as a “casque” on its forehead.

9.  Unicorn shrimp

The unicorn shrimp has a spear-like horn, called a “rostrum” that extends in front of its eyes. It is not used for hunting though, but to help stablise the shrimp while it swims.

10.  Arabian oryx

Part of the antelope family, the Arabian oryx is probably the animal that most closely resembles a unicorn – it can even magically detect rainfall. From the side, it also looks like it has just one slender horn. But the Arabian oryx actually has two sharp, dangerous horns that can reach 75cm long, which it uses to defend itself.

Featured image of a unicorn (credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)