The creature, called Zhùr by the local First Nation people Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, was discovered in the gold fields of Klondike, near the town of Dawson, by a gold miner, who was making water by firing frozen mud wall.
“This mummy is so complete, it basically has all the skin, most of the skin … all the soft tissues present, and it’s 56,000 years old, or there,” said Julie Meachen, associate professor of anatomy. of the Des Moines University. in Iowa, he told CNN.
According to Meachen, the bitch is “the oldest and most complete wolf ever found,” allowing researchers to delve deeper into the aspect of her life.
Using X-ray techniques, experts determined that the puppy, which had been preserved in permafrost, died at 6 or 7 weeks.
Meanwhile, a technique called stable isotope analysis revealed that the animal was living at a time when glaciers had receded.
“There weren’t that many glaciers around, which means there was a lot more fresh water,” he said. “There were a lot of streams, a lot of flowing rivers and probably a lot of other animals around. He lived in a lush time.”
The researchers found that the wolf cub’s diet was influenced by its proximity to water: isotope analysis revealed that “she and her mother ate mainly aquatic resources, such as salmon, perhaps some birds. from the coast, ”Meachen said.
A DNA analysis revealed that the puppy was descended from ancient wolves – the ancestors of modern wolves – from Russia, Siberia and Alaska.
“It’s not a surprise: it’s related to the things that were there back then,” he explained. “But the most interesting thing about this, which most people may not know, is that wolves from the ice age were only remotely related to the wolves that are there today.
“They are still the same species, but they are very different, as they belong to the same species. Their genetics have changed quite a bit over time: the diversity of the wolf has diminished over time and, again , has been expanded.
“He’s really an ancient wolf and he was related to all the wolves around him at the time,” Meachen said.
Very specific circumstances are needed to create a permafrost mummy, the researchers said, although several well-preserved wolf cubs have recovered from Siberia. However, this puppy, which is found in North America, was particularly rare.
“It’s rare to find these mummies in the Yukon. The animal has to die in a permafrost place, where the soil is frozen all the time, and they have to be buried very quickly, like any other fossilization process,” Meachen said in statement. “If you put too much time in the icy tundra, it will break down or be eaten.”
Because of his “immaculate” condition, experts think the wolf cub died instantly, perhaps when the lair collapsed, as the data showed he was not starving.
The research was published Monday in the journal Current Biology.