Coelodonta

Coelodonta is the famous Woolly Rhinoceras. It was a 2 tonne, 6 metre long and 3 metre tall, heavily muscular and long haired Rhino species, closely related to the diminutive and extremely endangered modern Sumatran Rhino. Coelodonta means Hollow Toothed.

Description

Coelodonta lived across the Eurasian Continent, and during the Ice Ages, between 950,000 and 9,000 Thousand Years Ago. It was more than a match for any humans in its habitat, including Homo neanderthalensis - nevertheless, Coelodonta bones have been found in Britain with butchery marks (though the humans may have simply scavenged an already naturally deceased Coelodonta) Coelodonta would have been a low browser, with a similar lifestyle to modern Rhinos. It was a fearsome beast that would have been highly agressive. With a 2 metre long keratinous horn, it was a seriously dangerous animal for many Ice Age carnivores to handle.

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Coelodonta may have been reliant on an exceptional sense of smell, like modern Rhinos, with poorer eyesight. Whatever the case, it was a battle-tank of an animal, tougher even in certain ways than the Woolly Mammoth - not migrating like them, but staying put through the harshest winter months in its own violently maintained territories. Males would display and fight to win control of females. -----------------------------

It wasn't nearly as common as Caribou, Bison or Mammoth, but they still would have been a common sight in the Last Ice Ages. They died out only very recently, in evolutionary terms, possibly due to a combination of its over-specialisation, climate change and human hunting.

Walking With Beasts

Coelodonta was shown several times in Walking With Beasts, as a relatively minor character. One is seen first of all charging an unwary Neanderthal man, knocking him into the air and trotting off into the background as the Neanderthal man recovers. They are also seen in the Spring Season on the plains, malted and as jousting males duelling for dominance.