This woolly rhinoceros has been dead for 32,000 years. Russian scientists found it on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh River so well-preserved in the permafrost that its skin and fur are still in decent shape.
"The vast, vast majority of remains from Ice Age animals are bones and teeth without any flesh or skin or anything like that," says Stockholm University evolutionary geneticist Love Dalén, who wasn't involved in the discovery. "There's probably one in 10,000 or something like that where you run into something like this (rhino)."
From CNN:
The study did not detail exactly how the remains were found but in that area of Siberia, Dalén explained, local Russians tunnel into the permafrost looking for mammoth tusks to sell. As part of an agreement with local authorities in the region where the woolly rhino was found,
tusk hunters have to contact paleontologists whenever they discover something of interest like this mummified woolly rhino, meaning that there is a steady stream of well-preserved specimens specifically from this area.After the animal's discovery, scientists
temporarily defrosted it before taking samples of the fur, skin and the hump for testing. While the rhino's right side remained well preserved in the permafrost, its left side was so badly damaged that scientists concluded it had been eaten by predators. Its internal organs were exposed and most of its intestines were missing, the study noted.
Previously:
• This may be why T. rex had such tiny arms
• Watch paleontologist critique dinosaur toys
