Climate change probably contributed to the woolly rhino’s rapid demise
The cousins of this fully preserved woolly rhino named Sasha were still genetically fit thousands of years after humans arrived. (Albert Protopopov/)Pyrenean ibexes, dodo birds, passenger pigeons, and Tasmanian tigers are just a few of the many species of animals that humans have over hunted and wiped out. Whether for a prize or a meal, these animals met their end when they came face-to-face with humans on a scale they never could’ve handled.While some went extinct as early as the 17th century,others may have met their demise by human means even far earlier—namely major Pleistocene megafauna like the woolly rhino. This fuzzy yellow creature, about the size of today’s white rhinos, wandered the European continent from Siberia to Iberia up until 14,000 years ago.These creatures, much like the woolly mammoth, faced an even more confusing set of unlucky situations that included a rapid warming of the globe which ultimately ended...