Epiaceratherium itjilik: Ancient Rhino Found in Canada’s High Arctic

Deep beneath the frozen soil of Devon Island in Canada’s High Arctic, researchers have uncovered the almost complete skeleton of a rhinoceros, Epiaceratherium itjilik, which lived in the region about 23 million years ago.

The find, made by researchers at the Canadian Museum of Nature, shows that rhinos once ranged far further north than previously imagined.

Epiaceratherium itjilik fossils

The remains came from Haughton Crater, a 23-kilometre-wide impact site now held in ice and silence. Millions of years ago, however, this location supported forests, lakes and abundant life.

The researchers called the newly identified species Epiaceratherium itjilik, or the “frosty rhino”, blending Latin and Inuktitut in recognition of its Arctic setting.

“Today there are only five species of rhinos in Africa and Asia, but in the past they were found in Europe and North America, with more than 50 species known from the fossil record,” said Dr. Danielle Fraser, head of palaeobiology at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

“The addition of this Arctic species to the rhino family tree now offers new insights to our understanding of their evolutionary history.”

How rhinos adapted to the Arctic

Its bones provide evidence of adaptation and endurance. Epiaceratherium itjilik was more slender and smaller than modern African rhinos. It lacked a horn and had a build resembling that of the Indian rhinoceros.

The word “itjilik”, which means “frost” in Inuktitut, was selected following consultation with Inuit Elder Jarloo Kiguktak of Grise Fiord, Canada’s northernmost Inuit community. Having visited the fossil site, he helped direct the naming process in a way that respected the area’s heritage.

The initial discovery was made in 1986, when Dr. Mary Dawson of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History recovered several crucial bones. These included sections of the skull, jaws and teeth, sufficient to establish that the animal belonged to the rhino family.

Dawson, who died in 2020, was among the earliest researchers to investigate Arctic fossils. She is credited as a co-author of the study that ultimately named the species.

Bones from Epiaceratherium itjilik

The fossil’s condition surprised the research team. “What’s remarkable about the Arctic rhino is that the fossil bones are in excellent condition,” said Marisa Gilbert, senior research assistant at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

“They are three dimensionally preserved and have only been partially replaced by minerals. About 75% of the skeleton was discovered, which is incredibly complete for a fossil.”

Gilbert took part in several Arctic expeditions led by Dr. Natalia Rybczynski during the late 2000s. On these journeys, the team also found another ancient species, Puijila darwini, a seal ancestor representing a transition from land to sea.

Their work on Epiaceratherium itjilik now links two separate evolutionary narratives: one concerning life adapting to ice, and another involving mammals spreading between continents.

How rhinos reached the Arctic

The location of the fossil added another dimension to the rhino family history. After examining 57 living and extinct rhino species, scientists concluded that Epiaceratherium itjilik probably travelled from Europe to North America across a land bridge through Greenland.

Previous research had suggested that this route vanished 56 million years ago. The new evidence, however, indicates that the connection remained in place much longer, perhaps until the Miocene.

Using modelling, Dr. Fraser’s team traced the locations and timing of rhino species appearances. Their results indicated that the North Atlantic Land Bridge was still functioning when Epiaceratherium itjilik lived.

This result revises part of the history of mammal migration, indicating a considerably later period of animal movement between continents than had been expected.

Protein clues from enamel

A further advance came in 2025. Scientists succeeded in recovering partial proteins from the rhino’s tooth enamel, a result once considered impossible for fossils of this age.

The research, headed by postdoctoral fellow Ryan Sinclair Paterson at the University of Copenhagen, extended the known timescale for recoverable evolutionary proteins by millions of years.

It also created a new opportunity to investigate ancient mammals through their retained biomolecules.

“It’s always exciting and informative to describe a new species,” said Dr. Fraser.

“But there is more that comes from the identification of Epiaceratherium itjilik, as our reconstructions of rhino evolution show that the North Atlantic played a much more important role in their evolution than previously thought.”

The ancient Arctic environment

Haughton Crater once contained lakes bordered by temperate forest. Plant fossils indicate that birch and larch grew in a place now dominated by ice.

Repeated freezing and thawing eventually fractured the buried deposits, forcing ancient bones upwards towards the surface.

This process, called cryoturbation, contributed to preserving fossils such as Epiaceratherium itjilik within a small area of roughly seven square metres.

Although the Arctic now appears barren, it continues to expose evidence of a much greener past. Each find adds another part to Earth’s history, recorded in ice and bone.

Significance of Epiaceratherium itjilik

The discovery achieves more than simply filling a gap in the fossil record. It demonstrates that the Arctic, often regarded as lifeless, contains stories of adaptation and resilience.

Millions of years ago, a hornless rhino moved through forests that have since vanished. Now released from the ice, its bones tell of survival in changing worlds and show that even the coldest places may preserve the warmest histories.

The fossil of Epiaceratherium itjilik is now housed at the Canadian Museum of Nature, prepared in collaboration with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Featured image credit: Julius Csotonyi