FOUND: One very, very old woolly rhino

The oldest fossil of a woolly rhino has been discovered in Tibet. The fossilized specimen lived some 3.6 million years ago, according to paleontologists. It was originally covered in thick fur, similar to other large mammals that lived a million years later when the Earth was much cooler than it is today. 

LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - Paleontologists found the fossilized bones of the woolly rhino in a little-explored area of Tibet, known as the Zanda Basin. The specimen itself is said to be in excellent condition, although somewhat crushed by the elements. 

The Zanda Basin is rich in fossils but its remote location means it has rarely been visited. Fossil hunters hope to discover yet more fossil specimens there like the woolly rhino. 

The woolly rhino find is particularly important because of its date; it predates the earliest fossilized wholly rhino remains by at least a million years, making it the oldest specimen ever found. It's location is also important to researchers as it lends support to the hypothesis that woolly rhinos and other similar beasts, such as mammoths, evolved in the Himalayan foothills. The hypothesis is known as the "Tibet hypothesis" and it is the subject of some debate among paleontologists. 

Very little is known about where the animals evolved and why they developed the adaptations they did. This discovery helps answer that question by suggesting the animals originally came from the Himalayan foothills. Some 3.6 million years ago, the world was much warmer and the only logical natural habitat for woolly animals, such as the woolly rhino, was the Himalayan foothills where the climate was cool.

Then around 2.6 million years ago, the ice age began and covered much of the northern hemisphere in snow and ice. This created a wider habitat for woolly animals and they migrated as far as Europe and North America. The last woolly animals, became extinct in North America around 10,000 years ago when they were hunted to extinction by humans. 

Paleontologists intend to continue searching the region and hope to find more evidence that could confirm the Tibetan hypothesis. 

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