Four years ago, an extraordinary discovery was made—a young woolly rhino from the Pleistocene era, remarkably preserved in Siberian permafrost.
Once authorities were alerted, it was confirmed to be a 4-year-old woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquitatis), with its fur, skin, and internal organs intact. This rare find has provided paleontologists with invaluable insight into the biology of this Ice Age giant.
Unearthed in August 2020 along the banks of the Tirekhtyakh River in Russia’s Sakha Republic, the specimen has since been studied by researchers from institutes in Yakutsk and Moscow. While they were unavailable to speak with Western media, experts in the field have noted a particularly exciting discovery: a fatty hump around the rhino’s shoulders, similar to modern camels.
“We knew from skeletons and cave art that woolly rhinos had large shoulder humps,” said Adrian Lister, a paleobiologist at the Natural History Museum in London, in an interview with Ars Technica. He added, “This might be the first time actual fat has been found in this area, which would indeed be an incredible find.”
Another fascinating detail is the presence of small, preserved parasites—water fleas—which no longer inhabit the region. This discovery hints at how drastically the environment has changed since the Ice Age. Further analysis, especially of the rhino’s intact stomach, could shed light on its diet.
The woolly rhino was the second-largest animal in its ecosystem, only surpassed by the woolly mammoth. However, despite their similarities, these two megafauna occupied different environments. While mammoths crossed the Bering Land Bridge, woolly rhinos did not, leaving paleontologists puzzled as to why—a mystery that remains unsolved in Siberian history.
Although this find is remarkable, it’s not the most complete woolly rhino ever discovered. A specimen found in Poland in 1929, which was missing only fur and its horn, has been similarly well-preserved, with a plaster cast at London’s Natural History Museum appearing as if the animal had died just recently.