They found an Ice Age woolly rhino with intact organs | the Chronicle

A man living in the Republic of Sajá in eastern Russia has found the mummified remains of a woolly rhino in pristine condition, which experts say belongs to a species that has been extinct for thousands of years.

Valery Plótnikov, a scientist from the Academy of Sciences of Sajá, took charge of the investigation of the strange species found and, in principle, explained that the body was left in the open due to thawing permafrost, the layer of compacted snow that remains spread throughout the year due to the low temperatures.

When the ice melted due to global warming, the rhino’s body was exposed and it was found last August by a local neighbor, who lives near a river in the Abyiski region, Sajá.

Although at this time the sex of the specimen is unknown, it is estimated that it lived around 20 thousand years ago, during the Ice Age.

“The back of the body contains soft tissue, possibly sexual organs and part of the intestines. This allows the feces to be studied, which would facilitate the reconstruction of the paleoenvironment of this period.”the researcher said, adding that they were very lucky to find the mummified caviar, as they usually break down quickly.

However, Plótnikov He noted that the ice cap permanently preserves all limbs, internal organs and the horn. In addition, its thick and single-colored wool has also been preserved.

From now on, researchers will continue to analyze this extinct species in Sajá, then it will be transferred to Sweden. Until, preliminary studies indicate the animal was between three and four years old at the time of death, which apparently occurred during a fall from a ravine or in a swamp.