I think it was the Peter Zallinger book Prehistoric Animals that first introduced me to the hornless rhinoceros titan Baluchitherium back in the early 1980s. A few years later, I read in an issue of Zoobooks that the name had been changed to Indricotherium. And shortly after Walking With Prehistoric Beasts aired in 2001, I learned the name had been changed once again to Paraceratherium. Taxonomy can be tiresome that way, but regardless of the name, this prodigious perissodactyl has long been famous for being one of the very biggest land mammals of all time. And 2026 has certainly proven to be its year, what with releases from both Eofauna and Haolonggood.
Unlike with other most Haolonggood releases, this Paraceratherium comes in just one colour scheme. The main colours are medium grey and medium brown, with plenty of muddy brown wash to bring out all the sculpting detail. The tail tuft and the feet are very dark grey and the hooves are black. Red is applied inside the nostrils and the eyes are light green, which is an unusual but welcome choice. All in all, this is a far cry indeed from all the vividly coloured Haolonggood dinosaurs we’ve been getting, but it’s precisely what you’d expect on a colossal rhino.
This toy is probably meant to represent Paraceratherium transouralicum, the best-known of the four species. It is posed in a walking stance with its tail raised, its left hind leg extended back, its left front leg pawing the ground in midstep, and its head turned to the left. Mine is slightly wobbly, but very stable nonetheless. The ears are perked and the mouth is firmly shut. The glaring eyes and downturned mouth gives it something of a disdainful expression, an air of bobance if you will. And really, when you’re by far the biggest beast in all of Oligocene Asia, it’d probably be hard not to harbour that kind of attitude. From its nose to its tail tuft, this toy measures about 26 cm long. It stands just under 15 cm tall at its eartips. And it weighs in at a hefty 631 g, which makes it far heavier than any of the Eofauna proboscidians. It also outweighs its 2022 CollectA counterpart (515 g), but not the Deluxe Elasmotherium (676 g). The real Paraceratherium is estimated to have grown up to anywhere between 15 and 20 tons in weight. Its only known rival for the title of largest land mammal of all time is the Asian straight-tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon namadicus, which may have weighed as much as 22 tons. And even then, Paraceratherium probably still would have been taller with its head raised.
The skin is all folds and wrinkles, with round bumps on the front legs and no visible fur anywhere save for the tail. The torso is massive and the musclature in the lanky, pillar-like legs and the massive neck are nicely defined. The feet all correctly end in three digits with thick, rounded hooves. The small, thin tail features a well-sculpted tuft, and is made out of flexible material to ensure that it doesn’t accidentally break off from handling or an accidental fall. A retracted penis is visible between the hind legs.
The head is decidedly conservative in its reconstuction. The snout is long, downturned, and rather pointed at the tip, with very large nostril openings. The eyes are small, but expressive. Finally, the ears are shaped much like those of modern rhinos. By contrast, some paleontologists have suggested that Paraceratherium possessed larger ears like an elephant’s for thermoregulation, and a tapir-like trunk on its snout to aid in browsing. We will probably never know for certain, but I reckon many collectors will appreciate the more classic appearance of this toy.
If there is one objective complaint to be made about this toy, it’s that there are a number of discernible seam lines throughout. Thankfully, they don’t ruin the look of it completely, but it is hoped that Haolonggood will be able to improve on this front with their future megafauna.
And now let us compare this big boy to the aforementioned CollectA version. Like many other collectors, I’ve never much cared for all those clumps of red fur, but I do think that CollectA deserves credit for trying something new and unusual.
Overall, I am very happy to have the Haolonggood Paraceratherium as part of my collection. Some may prefer the Eofauna version instead, but I think that this one checks all the necessary boxes perfectly. It’s immense, it looks accurate (within reason), it’s well-sculpted, and it has appropriate colouration. Solidly recommended then. And here’s hoping that Haolonggood eventually tackles a 1:35 scale P. namadicus to march majestically alongside it.
All articles on the Dinosaur Toy Blog are written without the use of ‘AI’
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