ISLAMABAD: Skeleton of “Baluchitherium”, the Largest Land Mammal in the world, is preserved and installed at Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) for interest of common man.

This largest land mammal in the world lived in Balochistan.

Baluchitherium is an extinct Rhinoceros and the largest land mammal ever lived on the earth about 30 million years ago.

It is called Baluchitherium: “Baluchi” for Balochistan; “therium” for Beast. It literally means the “beast of Balochistan” and was named so because it was first discovered in the Bugti Hills (ranging in age from 30 million years to 20 million years ago) Balochistan.

Giving details, DG PMNH, Akhtar Javed said the average height of an adult Baluchitherium is estimated to have been 18 ft high at the shoulder, and approximate weighs two ton (2,000 Kilograms).

He said fossils of this giant land mammal, Baluchitherium, were first discovered in the Bugti Hills in 1908, and included only a few foot bones.

However, the major discovery was made in 2000, when the joint team of paleontologists from University of Montpellier, France and the Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Islamabad found almost complete skeleton of Baluchitherium from Chitarwata Formation, north of Sui in the Bugti Hills after a search of almost 3 years.

“This discovery of largest land mammal has greatly increased the geological significance of our country for research in the field of paleontology and has made Pakistan known to geoscientists and biologists all over the world”.

DG PMNH said the museums throughout the world are playing an important role in public education through research, exhibits, lectures, film shows, club activities, competitions and many such other programmes.

Nowadays education through museums is being regarded as of indispensable importance, he said,adding in line with its functions, PMNH is striving hard for promotion of informal education through different means, mainly the visits of school and college students to the Museum Display Galleries.

Additions of new displays are one of PMNH objectives for attraction of visitors and education of public, he said.