Karkadann
The Karkadann (Arabic/Farsi: كركدن "Lord of the Desert") was a mythical unicorn-like creature said to live on the grassy plains of India, Persia and North Africa. The karkadann was an extremely fierce carnivore, hunting or driving away from its territory animals as big as the elephant. The only thing that could placate its fury was the ringdove's song; a karkadann would go to great lengths to protect a nest of these birds, for it enjoyed their beauty and voice.
Appearance
The body of the karkadann was white. The karkadann was as large as a rhinoceros and had a tail like a lion's. Each foot had two or even three hooves. Instead of the white horn generally associated with a Western unicorn, the karkadann's forehead sported a black corkscrew-like spiral.
Origin
A very similar animal was one hunted by man, the Elasmotherium, and it is possible that it survived in Indo-Aryan traditions as the karkadann. The Chinese knew a similar creature named the zhi, and the Evenks also talked of a large bull with a single horn in the forehead. Moreover, Ibn Fadlan reported having seen a creature corresponding closely to both the Karkadann and the Elasmotherium (see Elasmotherium for more).
Ibn Battuta in his travelogue, calls the rhinoceros he saw in India karkadann.
The name karkadann is a variation of the Sanskrit kartajan, which means "lord of the desert". Other spellings and pronunciations include karkadan, karmadan, and Cartazoon.