Coelodonta

Coelodonta is a genus of extinct rhinoceros known as the woolly rhinoceros, which lived in Eurasia during the Pleistocene. The type species is Coelodonta antiquitatis; other species have been described but their validity is debated. The genus existed from the early to late Pleistocene, roughly between 2.6 million and about 10,000 years ago.

Coelodonta was a large, stocky rhinoceros adapted to cold environments. It possessed a thick, shaggy woolly coat, a relatively small tail, and two horns made of keratin, with the front horn typically larger. Body size is estimated around three to three-and-a-half meters in length, shoulder height about 1.6–1.9 meters, and weight up to around two tonnes. The woolly pelage and low surface area-to-volume ratio helped conserve heat.

Ecology and habitat: It inhabited open, cold steppe and tundra environments across Europe and northern Asia, often near water sources. It fed mainly on grasses and herbaceous plants; dental wear and isotopic analyses support grazing as a primary foraging strategy. Seasonal migrations are inferred from fossil assemblages.

Fossil record and significance: Numerous well-preserved specimens have been found, including skin and hair preserved in permafrost. Fossils are especially common in Siberia and European Russia. The genus went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene, around 10,000 years ago, likely due to a combination of climate change and human hunting.