A skeleton of an injured Coelodonta antiquitatis from the Late Pleistocene of north-western Germany

Remains of an articulated skeleton of Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach 1807) from Late Pleistocene river gravel deposits of the Weser near Petershagen (northwest Germany) are described. A partly healed costal fracture at the middle of the right flank of the skeleton seems to be the result of intra-species fights. Other bones from the woolly rhinoceros site belong to M. primigenius, B. priscus, M. giganteus, E. ferus przewalskii, and R. tarandus, indicating the presence of a typical Late Pleistocene mammoth steppe fauna. Interesting are the remains of the steppe lion P. leo spelaea and an indirect proof of the ice age spotted hyena C. crocuta spelaea given by chewing marks. The described articulated woolly rhinoceros skeleton, in comparison with isolated cave and freeland bones of the woolly rhinoceros give new information about the paleobiology, biogeography and taphonomy of these huge ice age animals in north-western Germany. Articulated skeletons of the woolly rhinoceros are extremely rare in the world, mainly as the result of carcass and bone destruction by the ice age spotted hyenas.