For nearly 37,000 years, the soft, furry body of a three-week-old saber-toothed “kitten” lay cradled in Arctic permafrost, with its head, limbs, feet, and torso nearly perfectly preserved in the cold. It had been.
In 2020, the body of a young boy was discovered in a grave in the Russian Republic. Yakutia And it was investigated by a team of researchers whose excitement is clear in a recently published report.
“The discovery of frozen mummified remains of late Pleistocene mammals is extremely rare,” the researchers said. explain.
“For the first time in the history of paleontology, the appearance of an extinct mammal with no analogues in modern fauna has been studied.”
The remains of long-buried animals are often scattered by predators, scavengers, and the elements. So much of our understanding of extinct animals that predate human history is often based on a few bones from here and a few teeth from there.
However, this mummified saber-toothed cat (Homotherium latidens)’s Late Pleistocene lifespan was shortened for unknown reasons, but its first half was found relatively intact, with incomplete pelvic bones, femurs, and shin bones encased in nearby ice. .
This amazing discovery provides unprecedented insight into the physical characteristics of this species, from the unusual shape of its fur and muzzle to the perfectly preserved toe bean.
Analysis of the cat’s remains revealed important differences from modern lion cubs of the same age, which are estimated to be around three weeks old. By comparing this species with its living relatives, we can better understand species that existed in the distant past, living in a world very different from the one we know.
The discovery of H. latidens “The Yakut mummies fundamentally expand our understanding of the distribution of this genus and confirm its presence in the Late Pleistocene of Asia,” the authors said. Note. The mummy is The discovery in what is now northeastern Siberia is the first evidence that the species’ range extended far north in the distant past.
The Late Pleistocene is known for major changes in Earth’s climate, including the Last Glacial Maximum, which peaked about 26,000 years ago. We can learn a lot about life during this time from the preserved remains of plants and animals that lived and died in a rapidly changing climate.
Despite dying prematurely, the baby appears to have been well-adapted to the cold, and its feet are relatively wide compared to those of its living relatives. They also lack carpal bones, which is thought to be an adaptation to cold temperatures and walking through snow.
H. latidens It is currently the only species of this genus known to inhabit Eurasia, and specimens from northern Spain suggest that it primarily hunted large prey such as: aurochs And deer.
Compared to a three-week-old lion cub, the prehistoric baby cat’s muzzle had a significantly larger mouth, smaller ears, and a “very large neck area,” as well as elongated forelimbs.
Its dark brown fur is “short, thick, and soft,” longer on its back and neck than on its legs, and it has whisker-like tufts at the corners of its mouth. And like any self-respecting feline, it even has two rows of whiskers on its upper lip.
“One of the distinguishing features of its form is that homotheriumPremaxillary hypertrophy is present in both adults and infants studied,” the authors state. write.
This jaw shape allows for the row of large conical incisors characteristic of this genus.
So far, the authors have analyzed only the most notable and unusual physical features of this young cat, but they are already working on another paper that will discuss this cub’s anatomy in more detail. .
This study scientific report.
