Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) Skull,... Lot 19

Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) Skull, 45,000 years old, eastern Europe Fossil 150.5x95x34 cm Provenance: market (Italy) Conservation status. Surface: 90% (some areas shot in color) Conservation status. Support: 70% (reconstruction of part of the jaw and other interventions summarily indicated in the restoration scheme; horns are fully reproduced) The mighty skull belonged to a woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), an extinct species of rhinoceros that inhabited northern Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch. A member of the Pleistocene megafauna, it was covered with long, thick fur that enabled it to survive on the extremely cold and harsh steppe. It had a huge hump starting at the shoulder and fed mainly on herbaceous plants. Mummified carcasses preserved in permafrost and many bone remains of woolly rhinos have been found. Images of woolly rhinos are found among cave paintings in Europe and Asia. The species' range contracted toward Siberia starting about 17,000 years ago. The most recent finds, dating to about 14,000 years ago, were found in northeastern Siberia, where the animals had probably retreated to coincide with the Bølling-Allerød warming, which appears to have destroyed their habitat. An adult woolly rhinoceros typically measured 3.2 to 3.6 meters from head to tail, was 1.45 to 1.6 meters tall at withers and weighed up to 1.5 to 2 tons. Both males and females had two horns made of keratin, with a long horn extending forward and a smaller horn between the eyes. The front horn could reach a size of 1-1.35 meters in individuals aged 25-35 years, while the second horn stood at a maximum of 47.5 centimeters. Compared with other rhinos, the woolly rhinoceros had a longer head and body and shorter legs. Its shoulder was raised with a powerful hump, used to support the massive front horn. The hump also contained a reserve of fat to aid survival during the desolate steppe winters. Frozen specimens indicate that the rhino's long fur was reddish-brown, with a thick undercoat lying beneath a layer of long, coarse hair, thicker on the withers and neck. Shorter hairs covered the limbs, preventing snow from sticking to them. The length of the body ended in a tail 45 to 50 centimeters long, with a brush of rough hair at the end Females had two nipples on their udders. The woolly rhinoceros had several features that reduced body surface area and minimized heat loss. Its ears were no longer than 24 cm, whereas those of rhinos in warm climates are about 30 cm. Their tails were also relatively shorter. It also had thick skin, ranging between 5 and 15 mm, heavier on the chest and shoulders. Let us prepare the typology of our find. The skull was between 70 and 90 cm long. It was longer than that of other rhinos, giving the head a deep, downward sloping position, similar to its fossil relatives Stephanorhinus hemitoechus and Elasmotherium, as well as the white rhinoceros. Strong muscles on the long occipital bone formed the hock of the neck and supported the massive skull. Its powerful lower jaw measured up to 60 cm long and 10 cm high. The teeth of the woolly rhinoceros had thickened enamel and an open inner cavity. hence the Latin classificatory onomastics ("Coelodonta" means "hollow-toothed animal"). Like other rhinos, adults had no incisors. It had 3 premolars and 3 molars in both jaws. The molars were high crowned and had a thick layer of cementum (the periodontal tissue found exclusively in tooth roots). The nasal septum of the woolly rhinoceros was ossified, unlike modern rhinos. This was more common in adult males. This adaptation probably evolved as a result of heavy pressure on the horn and snout when the rhinoceros grazed under thick snow. Distinguishing features of this rhinoceros, the nasal bones were fused with the premaxillary bones, which unlike in older coelodonta types and today's rhinos. Woolly rhinos may have used their horns for combat, including against their own kind, as evidenced by cave paintings (particularly, perhaps, during mating season), as well as to move snow and uncover vegetation during winter. The horns may also have served a function to attract mates for mating. Woolly rhinos were probably as territorial as their modern counterparts. Fossil skulls indicate thick