What if you walked into your favorite fast food place, and instead of chicken and beef burgers, they only had Woolly Rhinoceros on the menu? Well, it might not sound very appetizing now, but thousands of years ago, our ancestors relied on the Woolly rhino for its meat.The woolly rhinoceros lived during the mid-Pleistocene epoch, 2 million years ago. The woolly rhino survived several Ice Ages, including the last Ice Age, and only went extinct about 14,000 years ago.This means that the woolly rhino lived alongside humans for quite some time, but… we’ll get to that in a bit.Woolly rhinos were about 2 m tall (6’6 ft), about the average height of an NBA basketball player. However, they would range anywhere from 3 to 5 m long (10 to 16 ft), For reference, that’s about the size of a large canoe!Not only that, these rhinos were heavy – weighing up to 2,700 kg (6,000 lbs) – comparable to the white rhinoceroses of today. It would take dozens of really strong humans to lift them off the road.And with their two really long, sharp horns, they’d unintentionally be puncturing a LOT of tires.These two huge horns helped them forage for food. As herbivores living in the colder regions of Northern Asia and Europe, they used their horns to scrape under the snow until they were able to get to the vegetation buried underneath.If they were still around today, it’s possible we could use this skill and train woolly rhinos to shovel snow off our sidewalks and driveways.Woolly rhinos lived through and beyond the last Ice Age, existing at the same time as early humans. As the climate became warmer, and the types of vegetation they survived on disappeared, it would have been harder for these huge beasts to survive. But, some of the other mammals who survived the ice age, like muskox and reindeer, were able to adapt to the warmer climate.Scientists even found that our Neanderthal cousins used to dine on the woolly rhino with a side of mushrooms. Maybe they had a recipe for rhino stroganoff?Eating woolly rhino would have been popular in Siberian regions, as there were large concentrations of them there. But because this meat was pretty dense, it would have been tough to chew. If we were to eat woolly rhino today, it would be best prepared like a steak, but make sure to ask for it thinly sliced.Similar to the other species of rhinos in the world today, the woolly rhino might be hunted for its horns, but they would have some people in their corner, advocating for their preservation. We’d also likely see anti-hunting groups attempting to save the woolly rhino.In the same way that polar bears live in zoos, the Woolly rhino would live in an artificial habitat created just for them. This means chilly temperatures and lots of vegetation around.If you’re lucky, they might even let you feed the rhinos! Just be careful not to get too close to their horns.The woolly rhinoceros were friendly animals that could easily live alongside humans today. With climate change, they may have evolved to have slightly less fur, but we still could have used it for stylish winter wear.They might wander among us or we might relegate them to the zoo. Either way, I’m calling Rent-a-Rhino to help me shovel my walkway. And don’t forget the delicious mushroom-rhino cheeseburgers with fries.