A new study has revealed exciting information about a mummified wolf pup that was found in Canadian permafrost. Scientists say the little creature the miners discovered in the Yukon is “the most complete wolf mummy known.” They have been studying this excellent specimen for a number of years and have finally announced details about various aspects of the puppy’s life, including his age, diet and the probable cause of his death.
The story of the wolf cub became news in 2018, announcing that the puppy and a caribou calf were discovered by miners looking for gold in the Yukon. The discovery of the two animals from the ice age in such good condition is rare and has excited scientists and the local community. Mummified remains are important, as they can help scientists better understand the life of animals in the ice age and environmental conditions tens of thousands of years ago.
This photo shows the wolf cub when they found it. (Yukon Government)
New insights into the life and death of the wolf cub
Now, a new study published in the journal Current biology states that the wolf cub is female and that the local village Tr’ondek Hwech’in has named it Zhur, which means “wolf”. DNA analysis and X-ray data have revealed many aspects of the wolf cub’s life. For example, scientists have discovered that Zhur lived and died between 56,000 and 57,000 years ago. Wolf breeding is related to the ancient Beringian and Russian gray wolves and died when he was about 7 weeks old.
Professor Julie Meachen, a paleontologist and professor of anatomy at Des Moines University in Iowa, also told reporters how the young wolf cub died, saying, “We believe he was in his lair and died instantly from a colitis. lapse of the den. Our data showed that she did not starve and that she was about 7 weeks old when she died, so we feel a little better knowing that the poor girl did not suffer too long. ”
In their research, the scientists found out what Zhur ate as well, and it was a surprise. “Usually when you think of wolves in the ice age, you think they eat bison or musk oxen or other large animals on earth,” Meachen said, “One thing that surprised us was that they ate aquatic resources, especially salmon “.
An X-ray view of the mummified wolf cub. (Yukon Government)
Mummified animals in the Permafrost
In territories beyond the Arctic Circle, there have been numerous discoveries of mummified remains of extinct and existing animal species from the ancient past. In Siberia, there have been exciting finds of animals mummified in the permafrost. In August 2018, an almost complete 40,000-year-old foal was discovered in the Yakutia region of Siberia, known for these discoveries. The remains can be preserved almost perfectly due to the extreme conditions of the Arctic that freeze dead animals, slowing down or even stopping the natural processes of decay.
The foal that was found in Batagai crater, Yakutia, in 2018. (Image: The Siberian Times )
The Yukon, a northwestern Canadian territory, is famous for the Klondike gold rush in the late 19th century. Today, the area is dominated by large dense forests, but in the past it was part of the desolate Beringia tundra. Here, extinct animals, such as woolly camels and mammoths, lived alongside the ancestors of existing mammals such as the caribou, which now lives in the Yukon.
Mummified caribou found in the Yukon. (© Government of Canada, Canadian Institute of Conservation )
Paleontological gold
The discovery of the said caribou calf was made by some miners who continue to mine gold in the Yukon long after the end of the Klondike gold rush. The mummy was found in June 2016 in a gold mining region belonging to a well-known Canadian reality TV star. According to USA Today, the caribou was found at the “site of an 80,000-year-old bed of volcanic ash.”
In July 2016, the wolf cub was also discovered by another gold miner working in the area. Both were very well preserved and, according to Smithsonian.com, “the skin, skin and muscle of the two animals are preserved almost perfectly.” Due to their remarkable condition, they offer some of the oldest specimens of mummified mammalian soft tissue in the world.
The wolf cub and the caribou calf
The wolf cub is the best preserved of the two creatures of the ice age and even its fur is in relatively good condition. The condition of the caribou is not so good, but the head, upper torso and front legs are complete and, according to Smithsonian.com, “provide a unique example of mummified animal skin, muscle and hair.”
A modern Canadian wolf (Canis lupus) at the Chapultepec Zoo. ( CC BY-SA 4.0 )
Both specimens were removed from the ground and the scientists performed several tests on the mummified remains. Carbon dating revealed that the caribou probably lived before the wolf cub. These make them the first specimens ever discovered in an Arctic region.
Ice Beasts
Nor is it the first significant finding of Canadian permafrost. About 30 years ago, two miners found the incomplete mummified remains of a long-extinct horse species known as the Yukon Horse. However, the discovery of the caribou and the wolf cub is very significant as they are the oldest soft-tissue specimens that have been unearthed in Canada. Now Canadians have specimens that can rival anything found in Yakutia in Siberia.
In 1993, Sam Olynyk, Lee Olynyk and Ron Toewes found in Last Chance Creek, near the town of Dawson, the most complete and best-preserved specimen of an extinct animal mummified in Canada, the Equus lambei. Yukon. ( CC BY-NC 2.0)
The importance of the findings
The finding of the caribou and the wolf cub is really significant. The mummified animal tests are expected to “help scientists learn more about the ancient mammal species that roamed Beringia,” Tourism and Culture Minister Jeanie Dendys said, according to a Yukon government press release. The premiere Sandy Silver praised the finding saying:
“These world-class gatherings shed light on the fascinating history of the Yukon Ice Age and will help us understand how these extinct creatures lived in the environment in which they lived.”
Both the wolf cub and the caribou are “very important and interconnected” for First Nation residents Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Chief Roberta Joseph stated:
“Caribou have fed and clothed our people for thousands of years. The wolf maintains balance within the natural world and keeps the caribou healthy. These were an amazing discovery and it is a great opportunity to work collaboratively with the Yukon Government and our community partners. ”
Local people from Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in have agreed to put Zhur and the caribou puppy on display at the Yukon Beringia Interpretation Center in Whitehorse. Zhur in particular is as “clean and preserved” as EurekAlert! reports “that it will remain intact for years to come, allowing it to travel to other locations in the Yukon as well.”
Top image: A mummified wolf cub is found in the Yukon. Source: © Yukon Government
By Ed Whelan
Updated December 23, 2020.