The Siberian permafrost continues to yield to rising temperatures, but these worrying signs also bring special opportunities. One of them is the discovery of a bear in the Lyakhov Islands, northeastern Russia. Its general condition is extraordinary, and it represents the only find of its kind, with internal organs intact, and even its nose present.
In general, we can only have educated opinions or use our imagination when talking about what remains hidden in the permafrost, but the ice has started to share its secrets, and experts feel smarter than ever... or maybe not? We still remember well the case of the puppy found near Yakutsk a kind of dog-wolf hybrid that confused everyone. Surprises are just around the corner, and the latest one to come to light is truly big.
Bear-sized, to be precise. Reindeer herders in the Lyakhov Islands discovered the remains of an adult bear, completely preserved. Researcher Lena Grigorieva highlights that this is a unique find of its kind: to date, only isolated skulls and bones of ancient bears had been found, but this specimen presents extraordinary conditions, with soft tissue, internal organs, and even its intact nose.
Preliminary information suggests it is a cave bear, Ursus spelaeus with an age ranging between 22,000 and 39,500 years. Radiocarbon dating will be a fundamental step to determine its exact age, and all this has happened in parallel with the discovery of the remains of a bear cub in the Yakutia region (Sakha Republic).
In summary, researchers at the Northeastern Federal University have their hands full with this bear, and other high-profile discoveries, including wolves, foals, mammoths, and woolly rhinoceroses.
Source: Siberian Times
https://old.neoteo.com/el-tesoro-de-von-toll-la-sopa-enterrada-que-sobrevivio-al-artico/
