Thunder Horse/Thunder Beasts

The Thunder Horse is a mythical creature from the Oglala Sioux people of Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota. They are huge terrifying creatures that leap from the sky to the ground during storms. It’s thought the hoofbeats were the origin of thunder. They drove buffalo towards the Sioux and vanished into the earth when the storm ended. They were also thought to belong to the deity Wakan Tanka. In 1875 bones were produced and studied. They were classified as Brontotherium by Dr. Othniel C. Marsh, this name meaning “Thunder Beasts.” These are the most famous members of the extinct class of animals Titanotheres.

Citations:

D’Aoust, Gerald, and Breese, Daryl. God’s Steed- Key to World Peace. United Kingdom, Lulu.com, 2011.

Schoch, Robert M., et al. Horns, tusks, and flippers : the evolution of hoofed mammals. United Kingdom, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.

Shuker, Karl. The Beasts That Hide from Man: Seeking the World’s Last Undiscovered Animals. United States, Paraview Press, 2014.