Puppies from Ice Age discovered in Russia
Posted on: 28/Mar/2016 11:32:11 AM
A pair of puppies from the Ice Age was found in Russia`s far northeast region of Yakutia. The puppies are believed to have lived 12,460 years ago. The corpses were preserved in the cold Russian snows, and is now on display at the Mammoth Museum of the North Eastern Federal University in the region`s capital Yakutsk.
The discovery has started a lively scientific debate over the origin of domesticated dogs.
Speaking about this, the head of exhibitions at the museum said, To find a carnivorous mammal intact with skin, fur and internal organs - this has never happened before in history.
Hunters found the first pup in 2011 in the frozen Tundra areas which is about 4700 kms from Moscow. Last year, the museum official returned to the spot for a more thorough look and found the second pup. The scientists feel they were about three months old, and very likely from the same litter.
Said the the official, (We) oversaw the removal of the second puppy`s remarkably well-preserved brain - the first in the world. Puppies are very rare, because they have thin bones and delicate skulls. A preliminary look at the mammoth remains also found at the dig suggested some had been butchered and burned, hinting at the presence of humans. It remains to be seen, however, whether the puppies were domesticated or wild.
A leading evolutionary biologist from the University of Oxford says, Thus far, the lineages of wolves that likely gave rise to dogs have not yet been discovered and its possible that these puppies could be on that lineage, which would be very exciting.
The second puppy`s preserved brain will be compared to that of modern dogs and wolves. The contents of its stomach and the parasites on its body will also be analysed. Say the scientists, When we opened it, we were very surprised. The second puppy`s stomach is mostly full of twigs and grass. (We wonder) if perhaps the animals were not exclusively carnivorous or whether they started eating grass after they were trapped by a mudslide and began to starve. This material is really exceptional and unique. The fact that soft tissue is preserved will give much more information compared to information that can be obtained from normal fossils.
