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EXTREMELY RARE COMPLETE EUROPEAN WOOLLY RHINOCEROS SKULL Rhine River, Germany LATE PLEISTOCENE PERIOD: 80,000 - 25,000 years ago A complete Woolly Rhinoceros skull (upper and lower) of Western Europe provenance has become quite a rare specimen in most museum displays, even in European museums. This specimen comes from an old German private collection and was found in a Pleistocene Era gravel bed of the Rhine River in Germany several decades ago. Entire specimens with the lower jaw from Europe are exceedingly more rare than similar specimens found in Siberia. There are several factors that contribute to the rarity of European specimens. Today, almost all dredging and gravel quarry engines crush the stone from the fossil-bearing gravel beds BEFORE it is sent into the shaker for sorting and washing. This is a tragedy because finding future specimens today is practically impossible as the valuable fossils are being ground up and destroyed before they can be saved. Tighter European regulations and new legislation limiting fossil collecting and digging, coupled with this major change in the way quarry and dredge operations are conducted have nearly eliminated all new discoveries of fossil skulls such as this one. To see this "beer barrel-sized skull" in person will leave you virtually speechless. It's impressive enough in the photos but you immediately can feel what sheer strength and respect this King of the Ice Age must have commanded when you see how massive and robust the head was. Not only is this one of the most incredibly impressive specimens of ANY KIND OR SPECIES we have ever offered but it is RARE, of VERY HIGH QUALITY and in remarkable preservation with only minimal restoration. This specimen had recently been decommissioned from long term loan by the private collector. We acquired the specimen from the original collector and all cleaning and any minor restoration work was conducted by our own staff so we can accurately provide full and honest disclosure of this skull's condition. Overall, there was only approximately 10% restoration performed. Prior to this skull being decommissioned from the museum and sold by its private lender, no repair or restoration had been conducted so our work entails ALL work performed. All teeth in the skull and mandible are genuine. For a Woolly Rhinoceros skull of this size and European provenance, it is in remarkable and very rare condition and certainly will appreciate in value and rarity over time. Better than "Museum Grade" since most museums do not have a complete skull of this quality. Compared to the ridiculous prices many other types of collectibles are fetching these days, the price on this authentic fossil skull certainly does not reflect it's true rarity. Beyond that, it is immensely visually impressive, much more so than these photos convey. Such a specimen rivals any original man-made art at a mere fraction of the price of an original painting, for example. Whether displayed in an advanced private or a large public museum collection, this specimen will undoubtedly be an important and highly regarded example by all that experience it. A specimen of this rarity and quality deserves a place in a prominent public museum collection for all to enjoy. This extremely RARE fossil comes with our HIGHEST recommendation. Beginning in eastern Asia about 1.8 million years ago, the giant Wooly Rhinoceros, known scientifically as Coelodonta antiquitatis, migrated into Europe and became well-suited to the harsh environment there that existed in our last Ice Age. The animal's massive body and long, shaggy fur allowed it to withstand the severe cold and barren land as it fed on vegetation of the steppe and tundra of Eurasia. The Wooly rhino grew to 11 feet in length and stood 6 feet at its shoulders. It had a huge pair of horns that grew inline on its snout. The front horn grew to lengths in excess of 3 feet. Like modern rhinos, wooly rhinoceros had horns composed of keratin. Unlike the hollow horns of cows, rhino horns are made of fused hair that are solid throughout. The fibers are attached to the snout by skin supported by a raised, roughened area on the skull. An interesting feature of the Wooly rhinoceros's anterior horn is that it was flat from side to side, rather than round like the horn of the modern rhinoceroses.
Wooly rhinoceros are clearly shown in cave paintings made by Neanderthals in southern France around 30,000 years ago. Hunting these animals would have been extremely dangerous given the beast's violent temperament and size coupled with its weaponry of its two horns. Like the cave bear, these deadly creatures were revered and were quite a trophy upon a successful hunt. Their eventual extinction is believed to have been caused by their inability to cope with the warming climate that marked the close of the last Ice Age. Today, the family Rhinocerotidae contains only five living species in the wild, two in Africa and three throughout Asia. All but the Sumatran rhinoceros are virtually hairless except for the tip of the tail and a fringe on the ears. The Sumatran rhinoceros is thought to have been stranded on the island of Sumatra during the retreat of the last ice sheet. This amazing animal was covered with a fairly dense coat of hair and is believed to be the closest living relative of the Wooly rhinoceros. ONE OF THE MOST AWE-INSPIRING SKULLS OF ANY ANIMAL, EITHER LIVING OR EXTINCT - SHEER POWER! A FOSSIL EUROPEAN SKULL OF THIS BEAST IS EXCEEDINGLY MORE RARE THAN SIBERIAN (RUSSIAN) EXAMPLES! ONLY 10% OVERALL RESTORATION - ALL TEETH GENUINE! 30" in length x 13" wide x 16" high SOLD LM12SKUL1 Actual Item - One Only |
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Wooly
rhinoceros fossils can be found throughout Europe and Asia.
Well-preserved remains have been found frozen in ice and buried in
oil-saturated soils. At Staruni in what is now the Ukraine, a
complete carcass of a female rhinoceros was found buried in the mud. The
combination of oil and salt prevented the remains from decomposing
allowing the soft tissues to remain virtually intact. This
specimen is currently mounted in the Paleontological Museum in Krakow,
Poland.