The world's first woolly rhinoceros has been found in Russia. The species, Coelodonta antiquitatis, is thought to have gone extinct about 10,000 years ago, with many other megafauna around the world. Currently, the remains have not been dated, but they would most likely be at least that old. Scientists hope to extract DNA from "Sasha", as she has been named. In 2007, a frozen carcass of am adult woolly rhino was discovered in Kolyma, Yakutia. Woolly rhinos are much less studied than mammoths, as they are very rare. There is hope that Sasha can give answers as to how they grew and developed, what conditions they lived in, and to which modern animals they are most closely related.
The age of the cub when it died has yet to be established, but scientists estimate it to be about 18 months old. Precise tests will be conducted to ascertain when Sasha died, with the results likely in six months. The creature's wool is well preserved, and an ear, one eye, its nostrils, and mouth are clearly visible.
The remnants of two horns were found on the carcass. The find was made in September last year, and the preserved remains will today be handed over in Yakutsk, some 2,900 kilometres away.
Albert Protopopov, Head of the Mammoth Fauna Department of Sakha Republic Academy of Sciences, said: 'The find is absolutely unique. We can count a number of adult woolly rhinos found around the world on fingers of one hand. A baby rhino was never found before.
