Details
Coelodonta antiquitatis
Woolly rhinoceros is an extinct Ice Age rhinoceros of Eurasian steppe, equipped with thick hair and large horns. Cave art, frozen remains, and horn analyses help reconstruct its appearance and ecology.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lived in cold grassland, tundra, and open lowlands from Pleistocene Europe to Siberia. Main habitat types in this guide are grassland, polar.
Typical length 300-380 cm, weight 1.8 t-2.7 t. A long front horn, smaller rear horn, dense coat, and stocky body suited cold open habitats.
It is diurnal and usually solitary. It likely swept snow aside with the horn and moved across steppe alone or in small numbers.
It is herbivorous. Dry grasses, sedges, and low herbs formed the diet of this large grazer.
Like living rhinos, it likely produced single calves with prolonged care.
It is extinct, so ecology is reconstructed from specimens and historical records. Cave art, frozen remains, and horn analyses help reconstruct its appearance and ecology.
