Sitia Geopark discovery of 8-million-year-old rhino skull

Paleontologists from the University of Patras have discovered a rhino skull dating back 8 to 8.5 million years in the UNESCO Sitia Global Geopark in Greece. The fossil belongs to the species Dihoplus pikermiensis, a two-horned rhinoceros that lived during the Upper Miocene.

The discovery was made during a paleontological survey in the Magantze and Trapeza areas of the geopark, conducted in collaboration with the Municipality of Sitia. Professor Giorgos Iliopoulos and his team identified the specimen based on its morphological characteristics, noting it is a typical species of the Pikermian fauna that inhabited Western Eurasia during that period.

The skull was transported to the University of Patras's Laboratory of Paleontology and Stratigraphy for cleaning and preservation. This find highlights the significant paleontological wealth of the Sitia region, which covers a history of nearly 300 million years.