A PERFECTLY PRESERVED ICE AGE CAVE BEAR FOUND IN RUSSIA
Written by Atu on September 16, 2020
The perfectly preserved remains of an Ice Age cave bear have been discovered in the Russian Arctic. This would be the first example of the species ever to be found with soft tissues intact, according to CNN.
A discovery like this is of world importance. Prior to this, only the bones of cave bears had been unearthed, but this specimen even had his nose intact. The adult animal was found by a group of reindeer herders, who then transferred the right to research to the NEFU (North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Siberia. NEFU is at the forefront of research into extinct woolly mammoths and rhinos.
The cave bear is called Ursus Spelaeus. No, I can’t pronounce that! But, according to the herders, it’s a prehistoric species or sub-species that lived in Eurasia in the Middle and Late Pleistocene period and became extinct around 15,000 years ago. Preliminary analysis suggests the bear is between 22,000 and 39,500 years old.
