Elasmotherium, the "Thin Plate  Beast," is a prehistoric mammal from a time where everything seemed to grow larger and hairier. With a length of about four and a half meters and a height of over two meters, the Elasmotherium was not an incredibly large creature, but its large horn and power compensated for  it. Its meter-tall horn was made of  keratin, the substance that makes up human nails, and was probably used  for defense and display. Though it  weighed almost twice the weight of a white rhinoceros, the Elasmo- therium is thought to have been able to gallop just like its modern relative.   Living during the late Pliocene to  the late Plesitocene, it roamed  Eurasia grazing on grass and  sometimes browsing selectively to  find the most nutritious plants. It  likely inhabited savannas, areas  with brush, and closed forests.  Legends across Asia refer to a beast with a large horn, and some ancient  art depicts a creature resembling  the Elasmotherium. In Western  Europe, tales and Paleolithic art  speak of large, horned beasts. If  these beasts are Elasmotherium,  then their range actually consisted of Western Europe in addition to Eurasia. These legends only add to the mystery of these creatures that science is still working to solve.