Wyoming's Actual Jackalope Is An Extinct Horny Rodent

Wyoming’s legendary jackalope is just that: a legend. Many Wyomingites don’t know that the closest thing to it, an actual rodent with unusual horns, went extinct more than 5 million years ago.

Ceratogaulus rhinocerus is the smallest horned mammal in the fossil record. The plucky little burrower has been a favorite of paleontologists since it was first discovered because of the two large horns in the middle of its tiny head.

Animals have horns for several reasons, but Ceratogaulus was literally built differently. It took its enemies head-on, which kept it alive for more than 8 million years.

“You think about the Jackalope as a sassy rabbit that can defend itself,” said Samantha Hopkins, a professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. “Jackalopes are not really, obviously, but there are real parallels with Ceratogaulus. It was a self-possessed, squeaky little creature with horns on its head.”