Wolf found in Yakutia, eastern Russia, has preserved fur, bones and even organs
A ferocious ancient wolf with its fearsome teeth intact has been revealed from the Siberian permafrost after 44,000 years.
Experts, according to MailOnline, say the adult male wolf found in Yakutia, eastern Russia, has amazingly preserved fur, bones and even organs, as well as teeth and bones.
It was taken to the laboratory of the Mammoth Museum of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, where it is undergoing an autopsy.
Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen even in the summer months and can remain frozen for thousands of years.
Ancient remains found in permafrost are among the most complete ever found because the ice prevents organic matter from decaying.
The wolf was discovered by locals in 2021 in the permafrost at a depth of about 130 feet next to the Tirekhtyakh River in the Abyi region of Yakutia, Russia’s coldest region.
Experts say it is the oldest known wolf to undergo such an autopsy and even its stomach has survived.
“His stomach remained isolated, without infection,” said Dr. Albert Protopopov, head of the Mammoth Fauna Study Department of the Yakutia Academy of Sciences.
“It was an active and large predator and we have the opportunity to find out what it was eating.
“In addition, its stomach contains the remains of what it consumed, its prey.”
Dr Maxim Cheprasov, head of the Mammoth Museum Laboratory, said: “We extracted a premolar – a tooth – to determine the biological age of the find.
“However, based on the tooth wear and the development of the sagittal crest, we can already tell that this is an adult male.”
Professor Artemy Goncharov, head of the Functional Genomics and Proteomics Laboratory at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, said such research could lead to modern benefits.
“We see that living bacteria can survive in animal fossils for millennia, acting as witnesses to those ancient times,” he said.
“We hope for good results that will allow us to further understand what ancient microbial communities were like, what function they performed and how dangerous pathogenic bacteria were represented in their structure.
“It is possible to find microorganisms that can be applied in medicine and biotechnology as promising producers of biologically active substances.
“Therefore, this research has particular implications for the future.”
Source: Skai
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