Top 6 extinct mammals with the craziest headgear

Below is an assortment of six extinct mammals with the craziest headgear. It includes mostly animals with horns and only one animal with antlers. Horns are generally bony outgrowths with a live bone core that often are surrounded by keratin coverings. The pronghorn antelope is one such example. Unlike the antelope, the horn of a rhinoceros is mostly made of keratin and sits atop a bony dome. Antlers, on the other hand, are the most fanciful of headgear. They are true bony outgrowths attached to a small bony stump and are generally shed and regrown annually. Males use them to attract females.

A few months back we had a contest to select the craziest mammal. Scroll to the bottom to find out the winner! Without further adieu, we present to you the top six extinct mammals with the craziest headgear.

6. Brontotherium (Megacerops)

Brontotherium (or Megacerops) was a relative of the horses, rhinos and tapirs that lived more than 33 million years ago in East Asia and North America. Its Y-shaped horn, made of bone and not keratin like rhinos, is thought to have been the result of sexual selection. Special thanks to Lucas Lima for this illustration. #science #fossils #nature #animals #brontotherium #rhino #rhinoceros #mammals #paleontology #eartharchives

A photo posted by Earth Archives (@eartharchives) on Jun 22, 2015 at 12:18pm PDT

5. Elasmotherium

Elasmotherium was a giant rhinoceros the size of a woolly mammoth that lived as recently as 50,000 years ago but likely even more recently. Paleolithic art depicting an animal with a very large horn in Rouffignac Cave in France is likely a reference to Elasmotherium. Image by Lucas Lima for Earth Archives. #science #fossils #nature #animals #elasmotherium #rhino #rhinoceros #mammals #paleontology #eartharchives

A photo posted by Earth Archives (@eartharchives) on Jun 15, 2015 at 6:10pm PDT

4. Arsinoitherium

Arsinoitherium was a herbivorous elephant relative that lived in what was the tropical forests of North Africa 36 to 30 million years ago. It is named after a Greek queen of Egypt. Art by Lucas Lima for Earth Archives. #science #fossils #nature #animals #egypt #arsinoitherium #mammals #paleontology #eartharchives

A photo posted by Earth Archives (@eartharchives) on Jun 8, 2015 at 9:51am PDT

3. Ceratogaulus

Ceratogaulus, or the horned gopher, which lived in the Great Plains of North America a few million years ago, is the smallest mammal ever to have sported headgear. Both male and female rodents had double horns on their snouts and those horns were most likely used for defense. Art by Lucas Lima for Earth Archives. #ceratogaulus #hornedgopher #gopher #rodents #mammals #horns #headgear #pleistocene #fossils #paleontology #greatplains #science #nature #animals #eartharchives

A photo posted by Earth Archives (@eartharchives) on May 25, 2015 at 1:41pm PDT

2. Irish Elk (Megaloceros)

The Irish Elk was neither truly Irish nor an elk -- it was a giant deer with massive antlers with a range across Eurasia. Art by Lucas Lima for Earth Archives. #headgear #mammals #irishelk #giantdeer #deer #nature #animals #pleistocene #fossils

A photo posted by Earth Archives (@eartharchives) on May 18, 2015 at 1:38pm PDT

1. Synthetoceras

Synthetoceras is the first in our weekly series of "Extinct Mammals with the Craziest Headgear." It roamed the American plains several million years ago. Special thanks to illustrator Lucas Lima for creating the images in this series. #headgear #eartharchives #mammals #synthetoceras #crazy

A photo posted by Earth Archives (@eartharchives) on May 11, 2015 at 10:47am PDT