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PRESERVED SABER TOOTH DISCOVERED WITH WHISKERS AFTER 35 THOUSAND YEARS

Published: 2024-11-21 18:53:54 Last Updated: 2024-11-21 19:10:34

A 35,000-year-old sabre-toothed cub's mummy was extracted from Siberia's Arctic permafrost. The specimen, which is a world first that will aid scientists in better understanding this extinct species, was in almost perfect condition with its whiskers and claws attached due to the harsh conditions in the area. Researchers revealed that the feline died from unidentified causes at the age of three weeks in a recent study that was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
According to the study's authors, "the strange shape of the muzzle with a large mouth opening and small ears, the very massive neck region, the elongated forelimbs, and the dark coat colour showed its significant differences from a modern lion cub of similar age (three weeks)." In 2020, the cub was discovered in Yakutia, in Northeastern Russia, in the Badyarikha River. The cub's fur was radiocarbon-dated to determine its age, and the results showed that it had been buried for at least 35,000 years.
The remains are from the Homotherium latidens species, which is distinguished by its enormous canine teeth used for hunting prey. But the cub had not yet developed them because it died at a very young age. For the first time, palaeontologists have been able to document the physical traits of the Homotherium latidens, such as the shape of its muzzle and the details of its fur, thanks to the well-preserved conditions.

With unique physical characteristics that enabled them to flourish in their respective habitats, the sabre-toothed cats of the Homotherium genus were found throughout Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Researchers observed that the ancient animal had wider paws and no carpal pads, which provided these cats with a better grip when moving around in the snow when they contrasted them with a contemporary 3-week-old lion. The species was shielded from polar temperatures by the "short, thick, soft, dark brown fur" covering the carcass.

The researchers concluded that "the discovery of H. latidens mummy in Yakutia drastically expands the understanding of the distribution of the genus and confirms its presence in the Late Pleistocene of Asia." "Therefore, the external appearance of an extinct mammal that has no counterparts in the modern fauna has been studied directly for the first time in the history of paleontological research."

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