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Source: Yukon Government
A perfectly preserved wolf, estimated to be around 57,000 years old, was found buried under snow in northern Canada.
According to the researchers, the remains of the prehistoric animal were remarkably well preserved due to the low temperatures underground. The mummified body still has its fur, teeth, and skin.
The remains were unearthed by a gold miner near Dawson City in the Yukon region of Canada.
The cub was identified as a seven week old female. According to experts, she died when the den in which she was raised collapsed.
Surprisingly, the specimen turns out to be the oldest wolf on record. After some initial tests and studies, the animal has been given the name Zhur, which is “wolf” in the Han language.
“It is basically 100 percent intact; the only thing missing is the eyes. The fact that it is so complete allowed us to do so many lines of research on it to basically rebuild its life,” said Julie Meachen, professor of anatomy at the University. of Des Moines.
Not long ago, a perfectly preserved cub, estimated to be around 14,000 years old, was found frozen with a slice of an extinct rhino in its stomach. The prehistoric canine, believed to be a dog or wolf, was found in Tumat, Siberia, in 2011.
When the dog’s body was tested by analysts at the Stockholm Natural Museum, the results confirmed that the remains in its stomach belonged to a 14,000,000-year-old woolly rhinoceros.
Then in September, a 39,000-year-old cave bear, thawed from permafrost in Siberia, was perfectly preserved.
Archaeologists in Russia discovered two perfectly preserved bears within an ice wall in two separate excavations. The find had been described by Russian scientists as of “world significance”, since previously only cave bear bones were found.
