Omerga

Omerga is a genus of extinct rhinoceroses that lived during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs. The name Omerga comes from the Chukchi language, meaning "great, powerful horse".

The genus Omerga was first described in 1993 on the basis of fossil remains found in the Kotel'noi River valley in the Chukchi Autonomous Okrug, Russia. However, the first coherent description and analysis of the Omerga rhinoceros were published in 2007.

Omerga fossils have been found in both Siberia and Alaska, indicating that the species inhabited the northern region of the Bering Land Bridge. However, there is no agreement on whether Omerga crossed the land bridge into North America as a separate species or as a northward expansion of related species.

Fossil evidence suggests that Omerga was a large animal, estimated to be around 1.5-2 meters (4.9-6.6 feet) tall at the shoulder and weighing several hundred kilograms. Remarkably, the species retained a notable tail, a characteristic that distinguishes it from close relatives. Brain size and other physical features were also comparable to those of the woolly rhino.

Omerga fossil remains are currently restricted to specific regions of the northern part of Asia and Alaska, suggesting that it was likely an adapted species that bore a complex relationship with the numbers of competing herbivores and other mammals in its time.

The exact placement of Omerga within the family Rhinocerotidae remains a subject of ongoing debate in the scientific community, awaiting further research to provide clarification.