Well-preserved wolf carcass discovered in permafrost sheds light on ancient diets and bacteria

A wolf carcass was recently discovered in Siberia, buried in permafrost. The wolf, found in Yakutia, eastern Russia, was incredibly well-preserved with intact fur, bones, internal organs and teeth. The carcass was transferred to the Mammoth Museum Laboratory of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk for further examination.

Permafrost is soil that remains frozen year-round even during the summer months. It can preserve the remains of ancient creatures for thousands of years due to the ice preventing organic matter from decomposing. The remains found in permafrost are among the most complete ever unearthed. The wolf was discovered by locals at a depth of about 40 meters by the Tirekhtyakh River in the Abyi district of Yakutia, known as Russia’s coldest region.

Dr. Albert Protopopov, head of the Animal Research Department at the Yakutia Academy of Sciences, explained that the wolf’s stomach remained separate and uninfected, providing valuable insight into its diet. Dr. Maxim Cheprasov, head of the Mammoth Museum Laboratory and his team extracted a tooth from the wolf to determine its biological age and concluded it was an adult male. Professor Artemy Goncharov mentioned that studying wolf carcasses could offer insights into ancient bacteria and their potential applications in modern medicine and biotechnology.

The examination of this ancient wolf carcass has significant implications for science and could lead to valuable discoveries in various fields such as paleontology and biomedicine.