A group of Russian scientists have found in the permafrost of Siberia an extraordinarily well-preserved mummy of a cub of a saber-toothed tiger, an extinct feline, and which died 37,000 years ago.
In a new study published by the Russian Academy of Sciences in. Scientific Reportsresearchers have revealed unprecedented details of this long-extinct animal.
Scientists discovered that its neck was twice as thick as that of a present-day lion cub. In addition, its jaw was specially adapted to house its famous cone-shaped incisors. Scientists even discovered how the cub’s toes would have helped them walk on the snow of the last ice age.
In their study, the researchers write: “For the first time in the history of paleontology, the occurrence of an extinct mammal has been studied that has no analogues in modern fauna.”
The remains of the mummified animal were found frozen in a block of ice in the Badyarikhskoe region of the Russian republic of Yakutia. For unknown reasons, only the upper half of the body was found whole.. However, the incomplete femur and shin bone of the pup were also found relatively intact nearby.
Although it is unclear how the cub died, researchers believe that it would have lived for a period called the late Pioceneduring which the Earth was covered with vast ice sheets.
Previous studies have found numerous woolly mammoth bones in the ground in this area, but this is the first time a completely frozen specimen of any species has been found.
Lead author Dr. Alexey Lopatin and colleagues write: “The findings of frozen mummified remains of late Pleistocene mammals. are very rare.”
“Normally, animal bones from this period. Are scattered by scavengers and the elements, long before they can be found by scientists,” he continues.
“This means that we still we don’t know much about the animals that walked the Earth during the last ice age,” says Lopatin.
However, thanks to this discovery, researchers now have a unique window into the development of this iconic species. The saber-toothed tiger is covered with a dark brown fur that scientists describe as “short, thick, smooth.” and is longer in the neck and back.
When comparing the mummified saber-toothed tiger to a modern lion cub of a similar age, the researchers noted. several obvious differences.
Most notable is that the mummified feline was significantly more muscular and had a “very massive neck.” and an unusual snout shape, significantly wider than that of a modern lion.
It is believed that this and other key adaptations allowed the saber-toothed tiger to develop its massive fangs. Lopatin and his coauthors write: “One of the striking features of the morphology of Homotheriumboth in adults and in the puppy studied, is the presence of an enlarged premaxillary bone“.
This bone, which is found in the front of the upper jaw, Would have allowed the animal to develop a row of large cone-shaped incisors.
This particular specimen was far too young to have grown its impressive tusksas scans showed that he still had some of his baby teeth.
The incredible preservation of this specimen reveals the interesting ways in which the big cat adapted to its icy environment. In addition to a thick fur and small ears that help to reduce heat lossThe saber-toothed mummy had wide legs to distribute its weight over the snow.
Similarly, the baby feline lacked carpal pads, thick skin pads found at the back of the wrist joint that scientists say, help with walking in deep snow.
This big cat, Homotherium latidensis the only species of its genus known to have lived in Eurasia during this time period. The comparisons with species found in Spain suggest that it probably hunted large prey such as aurochs and deer.
But the finding of this specimen so deep in Siberia suggests that they may have arrived much farther north than previously believed.
For now, the researchers have only identified the most obvious and unusual features of the mummified cat, but they are already planning further research to discuss the puppy’s anatomy in much more detail.