| Wolf Cub Animal Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Clas | Unknown |
| Species | wolf |
| Age | 7-8 weeks |
| Sex | F |
| Length | |
| Source | |
| Culture | Unknown |
| Date(s) | c 55,000 BC |
| Site | |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse. |
| Catalog # | Unknown |
In July 2016, Neil Loveless, a gold miner, was blasting a wall of permafrost with a water cannon and discovered a mummified wolf cub in the permafrost while searching for gold in the Yukon Territory, Canada. Loveless placed the mammal in a freezer until it could be examined; its fur, skin, and muscle were almost perfectly preserved. Named Zhùr by the local population.
Contents
Mummification
Naturally mummified in a layer of permafrost.
Pathology
"We think she was in her den and died instantaneously by den collapse," says Julie Meachen, an associate professor of anatomy at Des Moines University. "Our data showed that she didn't starve and was about 7 weeks old when she died. One thing that surprised us was that she was eating aquatic resources, particularly salmon.”
Studies
Carbon dating suggests it lived over 50,000 years ago.
Scientists now intend to carry out genetic testing to learn more about the animals of the ice age. The wolf pup is among the oldest specimens with soft tissue unearthed in Canada.
The pup is female, and the most complete wolf mummy that’s ever been found, all that is missing are her eyes. Analyzing Zhùr’s genome also confirmed that she is descended from ancient wolves from Russia, Siberia, and Alaska, who are the ancestors of modern wolves.
References
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/mummified-animal-0010722
https://nationalpost.com/news/more-than-50000-years-old-mummified-remains-to-be-unveiled-in-yukon https://www.heritagedaily.com/2020/12/ancient-wolf-pup-mummy-uncovered-in-yukon-permafrost/136535 https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2020/12/22/22195371/wolf-pup-mummy-zhur-yukon-des-moines-university-pleistocene-ice-age
