3. While Nessie may still be the Highlands’ most notable mythical creature, the Unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. 4. Scots celebrate the majestic equine on National Unicorn Day each April 9. 5. This love of the magnificent creature goes way back. Sept. 7, 2013— -- intro: As the national animal of the United States, the majestic bald eagle is a well-known figure around the world. But interestingly, many other nations – from up-and The unicorn’s horn is magical, and purifies by its touch any source of poisoned water. THE article in the Sunday National on the writer Lari Don being inspired by the legend of the unicorn was interesting, but missed out the two main reasons why the unicorn was adopted as an emblem of Scotland (Author’s search for the roots of unicorn myth However, there are several countries that have adopted much more unusual national animals. Some aren’t even real. Here are five: Country: Scotland Animal: Unicorn. The Scottish have always loved the unicorn. In the 12th-century, the animal appeared on William I’s royal coat of arms, and in the 15th century, the unicorn appeared on gold coins. Unicorn-like imagery dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization (about 3300 B.C. to 1300 B.C.) in South Asia, which included parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. A side profile of The unicorn design was first used by William I on his coat of arms. And when James VI unified Scotland and England the Scottish Royal Arms had a Unicorn either side of the shield. When he then also became James I of England and Ireland he replaced the left sided Unicorn with England’s national animal, the lion. This was to show that Scotland Mammals seem to be the world’s fave, with 120 countries picking one as their national animal. Birds are the next most popular, with 52 on the map, and mythological creatures come in third with seven countries choosing a made up animal as their national symbol. Go off, Scotland‘s unicorn and the Welsh dragon. Many people believe Greece’s national animal is the phoenix, which is partially true; the phoenix is Greece’s national bird. And while it may be surprising to have a mythical creature as a national symbol, the country is not the only one; Scotland ’s national animal, for example, is the unicorn, but we digress. In Western parts of the world, the unicorn was believed to be real for around 2,500 years and was adopted as Scotland’s national animal by King Robert in the late 1300s. The existence of the The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. Legend has it that only a king could overpower and command a unicorn. If you look closely at the royal 0l1We.