Posted on 09/16/2018 12:08:39 PM PDT by ETL
Two stunningly preserved ice age mammals were unearthed by gold miners in northwest Canada and unveiled in a ceremony on Thursday.
A wolf pup and a caribou calf were found by the miners in the Yukon territory in 2016 in the area's melting permaforst.
It's exceedlingly rare for fur, skin and muscle tissues to be preserved in the fossil record, but all three are present on these specimens, which have radiocarbon-dated to more than 50,000 years old, reports the Guardian.
The wolf pup is reportedly preserved in its entirety, including exceptional details of the head, tail, paws, skin and hair, while the caribou calf is partially preserved, with head, torso and two front limbs intact.
To our knowledge, this is the only mummified ice age wolf ever found in the world, Grant Zazula, a local palaeontologist working with the Yukon government, told the British publication.
Julie Meachen, a carnivore morphologist who works with Ice Age mammals at Des Moines University and will soon be doing research on the wolf pup, told the Guardian: When Grant sent me the pictures and asked me to participate I was really, really excited. I was sort of beside myself.
We want to do an ancient DNA test to see who its related to and look at its microbiome to see if there are gut bacteria still there, said Meachen. ..."
Elsa Panciroli, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, said: Ice Age wolf bones are relatively common in the Yukon, but having an animal preserved with skin and fur is just exceptional you just want to reach out and stroke it. Its an evocative glimpse into the Ice Age world.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The wolf pup remains uncovered near Dawson, Yukon. The specimen is complete, with head, tail, fur and skin all intact.
_________________________________________________
The mummified remains of the caribou. Photograph: Government of Yukon
Sure, because, even though the ice isn't 50,000 years old, these specimens are. Sure.
It was radiocarbon-dated to 50k years.
Studies of modern grey wolves have identified distinct sub-populations that live in close proximity to each other.[2][3] This variation in sub-populations is closely linked to differences in habitat - precipitation, temperature, vegetation, and prey specialization - which affect cranio-dental plasticity.[4][5][6][7]
The archaeological and paleontological records show grey wolf continuous presence for at least the last 300,000 years.[8] This continuous presence contrasts with genomic analyses, which suggest that all modern wolves and dogs descend from a common ancestral wolf population[9][10][11] that existed as recently as 20,000 years ago.[9]
These analyses indicate a population bottleneck, followed by a rapid radiation from an ancestral population at a time during, or just after, the Last Glacial Maximum. However, the geographic origin of this radiation is not known.
Melting permafrost. They just had to get that in.
For some reason... maybe because I love dogs... I find this incredibly sad...
Yeah, lil guy didn’t live too long in those harsh conditions.
RE Wolf/Dog evolution:
Here’s something that bugs me:
Wolf => German Shephard - yeah, I can see that...
Wolf => Husky, Malamute - Uh huh.
Wolf => Chihuahua... how in the HELL....?
Wolf => Dachshund... Yikes...?
Ayla’s wolf?
*** “Melting permafrost. They just had to get that in” ***
If it’s melting then it is melting doesn’t mean Humans are causing it.
I only get bent at the church of algore when they lie.
Thanks ETL.
Bring back Dire Wolves!
:D
not by yourself with that feeling...
Whatever happened to the little pup supposedly happened around 50,000 years ago. That’s roughly 11 times further back in time than the pyramids.
whenever or however to me it’s still sad.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.