Genome shows no recent inbreeding in near-extinction woolly rhinoceros sample found in ancient wolf's stomach

Guðjónsdóttir, Sólveig M., Lord, Edana, Pochon, Zoé, Lemež, Špela, Dussex, Nicolas, Stanton, David W. G., Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S., Fedorov, Sergey, Dalén, Love and Chacón-Duque, J. Camilo 2026. Genome shows no recent inbreeding in near-extinction woolly rhinoceros sample found in ancient wolf's stomach. Genome Biology and Evolution 18 (1) , evaf239. 10.1093/gbe/evaf239

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Abstract

Using temporarily spaced high-coverage ancient genomes, we can assess population decline prior to extinction. However, finding suitable ancient remains for recovering this type of data is challenging. Here, we sequenced a high-coverage genome from muscle tissue of a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)—a cold-adapted herbivore that went extinct ∼14,000-years ago—found inside a permafrost-preserved wolf's stomach. We compared genome-wide diversity, inbreeding, genetic load, and population size changes in this sample with two other Late Pleistocene Siberian woolly rhinoceros. We found no evidence of population size decline, nor any genomic erosion, shortly prior to the species' demise. Given the few long homozygous segments, typically indicative of recent inbreeding, we infer a stable population size only a few centuries before extinction. Thus, the woolly rhinoceros' extinction likely happened rapidly, during the Bølling–Allerød interstadial. This study demonstrates the ability to recover high-quality DNA from unlikely sources to elucidate species' extinction dynamics.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Biosciences
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	1759-6653
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 January 2026
Date of Acceptance:	2 November 2025
Last Modified:	14 Jan 2026 12:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183898

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