Large-scale fossil records analysis reveals prehistoric extinction mechanisms of woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis).

Climate oscillations and prehistoric human activity during the Middle-Late Pleistocene profoundly affected the population fluctuations and extinctions of megafauna, especially the extinct woolly rhinoceros. Fordham et al. (2024) recently proposed new solutions based on fossil records, paleoclimates, and prehistoric human activities data to reconstruct an explicit process-driven model, resulting in high-resolution population dynamics of the woolly rhinoceros. This study revealed the mechanisms of the woolly rhinoceros extinction: climate-driven habitat fragmentation combined with low but persistent levels of human hunting weakened metapopulation processes, leading to their extinction.