Exciting paleontological discovery

An artist鈥檚 rendition of a prehistoric woolly rhinoceros. Benjamin Langlois via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0

An artist鈥檚 rendition of a prehistoric woolly rhinoceros. Benjamin Langlois via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0

Earlier this summer, gold miners in Siberia stumbled upon a remarkable find: the mummified remains of a woolly rhinoceros, complete with soft tissues and an intact horn! This discovery, made in the Oymyakonsky District of Russia, promises to deepen our understanding of these impressive Ice Age giants.

, a global change ecologist at the 成人大片 and study co-author says, 鈥渢here鈥檚 been this debate for a long time of what killed the megafauna.鈥 Researchers have often pointed to either climate change or human hunting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not one or the other鈥oth were playing out on the landscape.鈥澨

The woolly rhinoceros, a contemporary of the woolly mammoth, roamed the Earth about 10,000 years ago. Standing 6 feet tall and 16 feet long, these formidable herbivores were known for their distinctive double horns, with the front one sometimes extending over three feet.

This find, reported by North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU), provides an unprecedented glimpse into the anatomy and environment of these prehistoric creatures. Researchers at NEFU, in collaboration with the Mammoth Museum, are eager to analyse the preserved remains to explore more about their life and the Ice Age climate.

Tagged in paleontology, archaeology, wooly rhinoceros, ice age, scientific discovery, research, damien fordham
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