KIEV, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Bones of a woolly rhinoceros that died about 20,000 years ago were probably found in a clay quarry near Hopchytsya village in the Vinnytsia region, central Ukraine, the Ukrinform news agency reported Wednesday, citing the village's official website.
"The bones of a woolly rhino were most likely found in the clay quarry in Hopchytsya. However more research and expert analysis are needed to determine this for sure," the website said.
All three bones belonged to the rhino, said Bogdan Ridush, a professor at the Chernivtsi National University who specializes in archeology and paleogeography.
The remains of the extinct animal were found by workers of a brick factory who were digging up the clay, said Ruslan Prilutsky, head of Hopchytsya village. Now the quarry is temporarily closed for excavation and scientists will study the site.
Mikhail Petrenko, director of the village museum, said that bones had been found in this region before, but people did not pay attention, believing that the remains belonged to some modern animals.
Woolly rhinoceros is an extinct rhinoceros species that lived in the Pleistocene era until the end of the last ice age.
It is the second largest animal after the mammoth that lived on this territory. Woolly rhinos became extinct about 18,000-20,000 years ago. An adult animal was 3.7 meters long and weighed between two to three tons.
