Scientists were able to find out what the woolly rhino looked like thanks to DNA remains in fecal fossils. This species became extinct ten thousand years ago.
Remnants of rhino DNA have been found in the fossilized feces of cave hyenas. These predators hunted rhinos. Thanks to the remains, scientists were able to reconstruct rhino genes. In this way they discovered what the animal looked like.
The scientists published their research in the scientific journal Biology letters. This is published by the leading Royal Society, the British Academy of Sciences.
By replicating the genes, researchers hope to learn more about how woolly rhinos live. They want to investigate how the animal copes with changes in the environment, their food and the climate.
Scientists call fossilized feces a “gold mine.” From fecal remains, scientists can infer not only what people and animals ate, but also what diseases, viruses and parasites they had. They can also map physical changes that have occurred over thousands of years.
The woolly rhinoceros lived approximately 500,000 years ago in what is today Europe. Between 250,000 and 40,000 years ago, these species also existed in the area now called the Netherlands. The woolly rhino became extinct about 10,000 years ago. Because complete skeletons had been found previously, scientists already knew the animal existed.
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