Woolly Rhinoceros
Coelodonta antiquitatis
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Chordata
Mammalia
Perissodactyla
Rhinoceratoidea
Rhinocerotidae
Coelodonta antiquitatis
The Woolly Rhinoceros — Coelodonta antiquitatis was one of the most iconic mammals of the Ice Age steppes. Perfectly adapted to the cold, it was covered in dense fur and roamed the tundra and grasslands of Eurasia alongside mammoths and reindeer.
Description
Woolly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) — This large, shaggy-coated rhinoceros thrived during the Late Pleistocene, grazing on grasses and sedges across the mammoth steppe from Western Europe to northeastern Siberia. It had two horns on its snout, with the front one reaching up to 1 meter long, used for defense, dominance displays, and clearing snow to reach vegetation. Adults measured 3.0–3.8 meters in length, stood 1.6–2.0 meters at the shoulder, and weighed 2,000–3,000 kg.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
2900
0.5
0.75
4
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Browsers
Hunt History
Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens actively hunted Woolly Rhinoceroses for meat, hides, and horns. Cave paintings in France and Spain depict the species, suggesting both reverence and familiarity. Hunting likely involved ambushes with spears during migrations or when the animals were weakened by snow or cold.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Starunia (Ukraine, ~26,000 years ago): Preserved carcasses found with evidence of human processing nearby.
Predmostí (Czech Republic, ~27,000 years ago): Cut marks on bones found with stone tools and hearths.
La Madeleine (France, ~15,000 years ago): Cave engravings of Woolly Rhinoceroses, indicating close observation and likely hunting.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
14000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Europe
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
High (confirmed fat hump; subcutaneous stores)
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
174
kg
Targeted Organs
hump fat, subcutaneous, marrow
Adipose Depots
Subcutaneous back/shoulder, visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
hump depot; dorsal/shoulder subcutaneous fat
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4