Scientists discover 32,000-year-old woolly rhino well preserved in permafrost

A team of researchers from Russia discovered an extremely well-preserved specimen of a woolly rhinoceros, over 32,000 years old, in the permafrost of Siberia. The intact fur and skin of the rhinoceros gives scientists new insights into this extinct species, which lived during the last ice age, writes CNN.

The specimen, discovered in August 2020 on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh River, was approximately four years old at the time of death and was preserved in permafrost until its discovery.

The researchers identified a large fat hump on the animal’s back, a specific feature for storing energy during the winter, similar to other arctic animals.

Love Dalén, professor of evolutionary genomics at the University of Stockholm, explained to CNN that such discoveries are extremely rare, only a small part of the remains from the Ice Age being so well preserved. “Most of the remains are just bones and teeth, without flesh or skin,” said Dalén.

The rhino’s fur, which is light brown in color, became darker and rougher as the animal aged, according to the researchers’ conclusions. Woolly rhinoceroses were among the largest herbivores in the glacial ecosystem, surpassed only by the woolly mammoth.