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In a remarkable discovery, scavengers searching for mammoth tusks along Siberia’s Badyarikha River unearthed a mummified saber-toothed cat cub, preserved in permafrost for tens of thousands of years.
Estimated to be around 35,500 to 37,000 years old, the cub, belonging to the species Homotherium latidens, was just three weeks old at the time of its death during the Late Pleistocene era.
This rare find, described in the journal Scientific Reports, includes the front part of the cub’s body, its head, and fur, allowing scientists to study soft tissues for the first time.
The cub’s preservation is credited to Siberia’s frozen permafrost, which has also yielded other Ice Age fossils like woolly mammoths and rhinos.
Alexey V. Lopatin, a paleontologist from the Russian Academy of Sciences and lead author of the study, highlighted the excitement and importance of this discovery in advancing the understanding of long-extinct species.
The forepaws of three-week-old large felid cubs are compared here: A, B, and C represent the frozen mummy cub, Homotherium latidens, while D corresponds to a modern lion.
Researchers found unique features in the cub, such as a stout neck and dark brown fur, distinguishing it from modern lion cubs.
Interestingly, its paws lacked carpal pads, a common feature in modern cats, suggesting adaptations for walking on snow.
This detail, combined with other physical traits, provides a glimpse into how these ancient predators were built for cold environments.
The study’s findings mark the first time scientists could closely examine an extinct species like Homotherium through its soft tissues, rather than just fossilized bones.
The preservation allows for potential DNA extraction, which could offer further insights into the species' evolution and behavior.
Future studies are already underway to analyze the cub’s anatomy in greater detail.
This mummified cub offers a rare snapshot of a world long gone, when saber-toothed cats and woolly mammoths roamed the Earth.
As permafrost continues to thaw due to climate change, scientists anticipate more such discoveries, further enriching our understanding of prehistoric life.
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