Pointing in wrong direction
A unicorn horn points forward. The myth probably arose from seeing a medieval knight holding his lance such that the point seemed to emerge from the horse's head.
Vietnam is to set up a nature reserve for unfeasibly rare – possibly now extinct – two-horned "unicorns". The rare saola (or 'unicorn') of the Annamite mountains. Credit: Bolikhamxay Provincial Conservation Unit No more unicorn hunting. By order The creature in question is more formally known as the saola. It is informally …
"In some circles the saola is thought to be responsible for Chinese legends regarding the qilin, a fantastical creature equivalent to the unicorn in European lore."
erm, no. it has 2 FRIKKIN HORNS!!! 2 horned creatures are very rare compared to single horned creatures, especially when we have no record of an actual equine one horned beast.
(also known in Japan, just look at a bottle of Kirin beer), shares other characteristics with the unicorn, such as virtue. But not the number of horns.
Some say a giraffe brought from Africa to the Emperor's court was identified as a qilin. The qilin dance is less common than the lion dance.