2 ms·
To invoke Occam's Razor, I'd point out that the more realistic the trunk is in the example pictures, the more realistic the rest of the body is (horse-like legs
by TallGuyShort 10y ago
To invoke Occam's Razor, I'd point out that the more realistic the trunk is in the example pictures, the more realistic the rest of the body is (horse-like legs => trumpet-like trunk). I wonder if many of these pictures were drawn by people who knew what an elephant looked like only by the description of others. 4 legs + tusks + big ears + this trumpety thing. Yeah I could see how they get their pictures.
- sp332 10y agoThis reminds me of the first penguin to be stuffed and mounted. The taxidermist only had the skin and a brief description to work with. https://imgur.com/a/2XjCk https://imgur.com/a/2XjCk It's in the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA along with a bunch of other cool weird things. I recommend stopping in if you get a chance.
- 14113 10y agoWhich reminds me of the overstuffed walrus in the horniman museum, London, where similar events transpired: https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/images/musttry/419.jpg https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/images/musttry/419.jpg As far as I understand it, the taxidermist didn't know when to stop, as he'd never seen a live specimen, so just...kept going.
- simonh 10y agoIt's also how you get Unicorns from descriptions of Rhinos. Four legs, big as a horse, one horn.