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Russian reindeer herders have discovered, in an arctic archipelago in Siberia, the perfectly preserved remains of an adult cave bear and a chick. It is the first time that a cave bear has been discovered in such a good state of preservation, the Russian state press reported, according to The Siberia Times.
To date, only cave bear bones have been found, a prehistoric species or subspecies that lived in Eurasia around 300,000 to 15,000 years ago.
The two finds, found in separate excavations in the Siberian permafrost, were hailed by Russian experts as “of global importance.”
“This is the first and only discovery of its kind – a bear carcass complete with soft tissue. It is fully preserved, with all internal organs in place. Previously, only skulls and bones were found,” said Dr. Lena Grigorieva to The Siberia Times.
The adult bear, found with intact teeth, was so well preserved that its features, like its nose, were in perfect condition. The animal is said to have lived more than 39,000 years ago.
To date, bear remains have been found in caves in England, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy and Greece and parts of North Africa. The largest cave bears weighed between 400 and 1,000 kg.
In recent years, there have been major discoveries of ice age mammoths, rhinos, or foals, as permafrost melts in Siberia.
