Hairy rhinos in England

2002/10/31 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Bones of four dark rhinos (Coelodonta antiquus) that lived 35,000 years ago have been found in England. Fossils have been found in the Whitemoore Haye quarry and paleontologists have stated they are in very good condition. Plant remains have even been found between the teeth and will serve to know the last food of the rhinoceros.

In addition, they have found perfectly preserved plants and insects around the bones. Among the insects stands out a species of beetle very sensitive to the climate. Through this analysis, experts ensure that they obtain valuable data on the climate and environment of the time.

According to experts, fossils are in such good condition because of the weather of the time. It seems that the rhinoceroses froze as soon as they die, since in the bodies there are no remains of predators or scavengers.

However, no human remains of that time have yet been found and they have never believed they will find it, perhaps because the time was too cold to live there.