This old wolf in ice age is pretty cute for a mummy – Quartz

We do not generally think that mummies are particularly calines. But the researchers say the newly unveiled mummified body of an ice age wolf, estimated to be over 50,000 years old, is so well preserved that you may want to reach out.

According to a statement from the Yukon government, the gold miners found the specimen, as well as an ice age caribou calf, in the Klondike region of Canada.

While only the head, torso and two forelimbs of the caribou were found intact, the wolf was found in its entirety. The Cub, who died at the age of eight weeks, is the world's first mummy ice wolf. It is thought that both animals lived next to other ancient creatures such as woolly mammoths.

Elsa Panciroli, paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, told the Guardian: "Ice Age wolf bones are relatively common in the Yukon, but have a preserved animal with skin and hair. Fur is just exceptional. It is an evocative glimpse of the world of the ice age.

Grant Zazula, a paleontologist working with the Yukon government, also admired the mummified level of detail. "It's beautiful, the fur, there are the cute little paws and tail and the curly upper lip that shows its teeth," Zazula told the Canadian Press news agency.

The likeness of the wolf mummy to today's puppies is one of the main reasons why the discovery is so remarkable. Thomas Higham, an archeology dating expert at Oxford University, told The Guardian: "The remains are very evocative because they allow us to be in direct contact with animals that are tens of thousands of years old. look much newer. "

The mummy could also provide new information on Yukon wolf populations. Panciroli said the ancient DNA of the "aphid" could lead to breakthroughs on the evolution of modern wolves.