Scientists have determined the age of cave lion cubs found in the permafrost in Yakutia
A group of international researchers has determined the age of two well-preserved lion cubs that were found in the permafrost in Yakutia, CNN reports.
The animals were found in northeastern Siberia in 2017–2018, 15 meters apart. For a long time, scientists believed that lion cubs were brother and sister. But genetic examination showed that predators differ in age by about 15 thousand years. So, the male lion cub is more than 43 thousand years old, and the female lion is about 28 thousand years old. Researchers gave them the names Boris and Sparta.
“Considering how well they were preserved, we can say that the bodies were buried very quickly. Maybe they died in a landslide or fell into a crack in the permafrost, ”said evolutionary genetics professor Love Dalen.
At the time of death, he said, both animals were only 1-2 months old. With the help of computed tomography, it was possible to determine the damage to the skull, dislocated ribs and other deformities of the skeleton.
As Dalen said, Sparta is the best preserved of all the animals found in the Ice Age.
“The body is almost intact, only the hair is slightly bumpy. Even the mustache has been preserved. Boris has more injuries, but he is also in good condition, ”he said.
In December last year, the remains of a woolly rhinoceros that lived during the Ice Age were found in Siberia. Scientists believe that its age is 34 thousand years.
