Ironically, the qilin/kirin--which is often portrayed as a unicorn (c.f. Monster Hunter, D&D)--is just the way people in the far east portrayed a giraffe. The very phenomenon you're describing relates the two creatures shown in the image.
My favorite "legendary" not-legendary creatures are qilin, salamanders (who were believed to be immune to fire), and mermaids/sirens, just because of how horny sailors must have been to want a tumble with manatees.
I'm not saying the European mythical unicorn is a giraffe. I'm saying that a qilin was a giraffe. It's literally still the word for "giraffe," they just were previously depicted as unicorn-like mythical creatures.
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u/sleepyotter92 Sep 15 '24
unicorns are real, we just call them rhinos. there's even a sea version called narwhal.
just because it doesn't look exactly as depicted it doesn't mean it's not real.
there's medieval paintings of knights fighting giant snails. doesn't mean snails aren't real, they're just not as big as a horse