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LordTrilobite

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It has been a few years since I posted an update on my woolly rhino composite skeleton. Due to regulation change, not a whole lot of bones are fished out of the North Sea these days. So I haven't gotten many new bones in recent years. But last week I got a whole bunch of extra bones so I got the rhino out of the many boxes I have it stored in for the most time and so it's time for another progress update.

 

For those who've missed my previous posts. I have been collecting wooly rhino (coelodonta antiquitatis) bones for over a decade now ever since I got a few leg bones for my birthday. One thing spiraled into another and before I knew it I was trying to make a complete skeleton. Almost all the bones are from the North Sea where only isolated bones are ever found. So none of the bones have any context, which is why a composite skeleton is the only option. Of course this brings it's own problems, besides spending years trying to find all the correct bones, but also getting bones that actually match nicely. So some bones aren't an exact match but every once in a while I replace bones that don't match that good with better ones. And by now I have just over a hundred bones plus change for the extra bones I have doubles for. The skeleton is quite massive. Woolly rhinos were around the same size as modern African rhinos. Carrying over a hundred rhino bones up and down the stairs was also a good workout :P

 

The only bone that isn't real is the skull, which is a replica cast. Only two bones come from different locations, one from a quarry in the Netherlands and the other from Hungary. All the other bones come from the North Sea. The neck is complete and I'm only missing one dorsal vertebra. I've got a partial sacrum with the front missing. I don't have any tail vertebrae. I've got a few ribs but not nearly enough and two large hip fragments.

I've got all the big long bones except for the fibulae and one shoulder blade. By now I've got the hands fairly complete. I've got all the wrist bones, all the metacarpals. The phalanges however are harder to get and I don't have any unguals. On the hind legs I now also recently got the kneecaps as well as a few missing ankle bones. I'm only missing two ankle bones on both feet. I got all the metatarsals and the phalanges here are a similar story, I have the first phalanges, and one of the second. But again, no unguals.

Rhino2018_01.thumb.jpg.b5c0f35a21c503c8f76bc3c17032a88a.jpg

 

Rhino2018_03.jpg.63c37d3770a6795ce43f5351e7c4e9ac.jpgRhino2018_02.jpg.c1164c625f9e31281b5c828a45c136b3.jpg

 

Rhino2018_09.jpg.2aea0b03d8d904111846cbdcb669cce8.jpgRhino2018_08.jpg.dc67d8d645f14c87f479c21808750176.jpgRhino2018_07.jpg.afa19871db3ebb28d76bfd277849a6fe.jpgRhino2018_06.jpg.6f4df1029bec4ff3549aa47e147b8d01.jpgRhino2018_05.jpg.eebd18dc414e6914276ca1da884ea2ec.jpg

 

A beautiful humerus that now replaced a less complete dinky humerus.

Rhino2018_10.jpg.cd97876916ea4605d8e93e82334d5e1c.jpg

 

Left front hand of the rhino and my right foot for scale.

Rhino2018_04.jpg.eabdb3c14d7016e0ef024c3a2bd11e62.jpg

 

And lastly there's this really nice nasal fragment where the horn would attach in life. It's just a small fragment, but the preservation is really quite nice. Some of the sutures can also be seen really nicely.

Rhino2018_11.jpg.fd1e6c12e6caf671a419c2027aca5f12.jpgRhino2018_12.jpg.92e0c2665cb2465da89fc34475464d0f.jpgRhino2018_13.jpg.871d5f8ddc9c3e8718e684f76ae84af6.jpg

 

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Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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Fantastic. really an astonishing project thank you for showing us. I don’t think I would have the room for a woolly rhino in my little house. :wub: :wub: :wub: wow 

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Thanks! And well, I kinda don't have room for it :P Which is why I leave it in lots of boxes in my parents house most of the time.

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Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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Awesome! Its grown since last time! Where did you acquire the skull cast from, if you dont mind me asking? 

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I got that skull replica as a present. Don't remember if it was christmas or another birthday.

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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An ambitious task, but you have done very well! Nice job!

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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That's pretty cool. Are you going to keep it in boxes or assemble it like a museum? Because even though it's a little on the large side it is pretty complete. So cool to see this

On The Hunt For The Trophy Otodus!

 

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Looking good, excellent project to work on and probably not many in private collections.  Are there shows you can attend to pick up the missing items?

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6 hours ago, Troodon said:

Looking good, excellent project to work on and probably not many in private collections.  Are there shows you can attend to pick up the missing items?

Not really, I get everything locally here in the Netherlands. This most recent batch of bones I got from the guy from www.northseafossils.com

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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That’s fantastic. It’s getting to the point where you can get a frame made to display it in a lifelike position.

 

Thanks for showing. 

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A very cool project and we anxiously await its completion someday.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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On July 6, 2018 at 3:32 PM, LordTrilobite said:

Thanks! And well, I kinda don't have room for it :P Which is why I leave it in lots of boxes in my parents house most of the time.

 

Lord Trilobite,

 

I remember your posts and have wondered if you had made any progress recently.  I have given myself a similar side project, assembling a composite skeleton of Allodesmus, an extinct relative of the sea lion (all remains from the Sharktooth Hill Bonebed).  I don't have a skull nor even a replica, hardly any vertebrae, only rib fragments, but many limb elements and teeth.  I understand the challenge of not only finding the missing bones but also ones that are good fits with what you already have and I certainly salute what you have achieved so far.

 

Jess

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Excellent progress on this project! I don't post/log in too much, but I've browsed the site for years and remember seeing this in the early stages. Do you plan on constructing a mount for it some day?

 

 

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Thanks for the comments everyone!

 

On 7/11/2018 at 9:49 AM, Meatasaurus93 said:

Excellent progress on this project! I don't post/log in too much, but I've browsed the site for years and remember seeing this in the early stages. Do you plan on constructing a mount for it some day?

I don't have a plan at the moment, nor do I have the space for a mounted woolly rhino. :ighappy:

 

I'll worry about space later I guess :P

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got another of the bones scanned. Not the most spectacular bone, but definitely one of the more rare ones. It's generally the large bones that get fished up from the bottom of the sea. These smaller phalanges are rarely sold. Slowly but surely I'm working towards a complete digital woolly rhino. This bone can be seen in the first photo on the bottom right at the end of the middle toe.

 

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Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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:trilosurprise:  That is an impressive project, Olof. A labor of love, I presume. Congratulations on the work you've done so far. Most impressive. :dinothumb:

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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What a fascinating and great project! Thanks for showing us the latest. 

 

Regards, Chris 

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Very awesome and ambitious project! Will definitely be watching for any further progress. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Great collection! nice to see all the bones so far laying on the ground. 
Big compliment for the way you collected and document the bones. The images etc helped me a lot in my quest and identification of my woolly rhino bones. 

 

Question: Do you know how to find information with decent images of the skeleton and especially the vertebra of the Woolly Rhino? it's a big trouble to find really good resources about the vertebra's and to linkt them to the woolly rhino and not other animals. even "specialists" sometimes mixed up the identification of the particular vertebra.

 

success with finding the other puzzle "bones" pieces.

 

Regards, Berni. 

Amsterdam. 

 

 

 

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