It has to be said that Siberia is a magical land. In the vast expanse of this world's coldest human gathering area, a large amount of permafrost is condensed. And beneath these permafrosts, there are many things that we do not expect.
< h1 align="center" > magical Siberian permafrost</h1>
In recent decades, with the melting of permafrost, scientists have discovered a large number of precious remains of prehistoric creatures in Siberia. Under the sealing of permafrost, these remains are not only very intact, but even very fresh, directly showing the shape of these prehistoric creatures, saving paleontologists a lot of energy and mistakes.
In 2015, the cub carcasses of the prehistoric creature Cave Lion were unearthed in Siberia, and the two bodies were almost intact.
In 2018, the area again had two cave lion cubs exhumed, with well-preserved hairs on the outside of their bodies and various organs inside their bodies.
In 2019, the carcass of another prehistoric wolf was excavated in the Siberian permafrost, and its teeth, nose and other parts were clearly displayed in front of paleontologists.
In early 2020, local herders found the remains of a prehistoric cave bear in Siberia, and the integrity of its organizational structure is equally shocking.
In August 2020, in the permafrost of Russia's Yakutia region (Sakha Republic), scientists once again discovered prehistoric creatures, giving us a glimpse into what these creatures that lived in prehistoric times really looked like.
<h1 align="center" > woolly rhinoceros</h1>
This excavation can be said to be very difficult. The Yakutia region of the Arctic is vast and remote, with poor transportation and only a handful of roads. And, in the summer, only planes and boats can reach this area. It wasn't until winter came that some temporary ice road networks were formed and ground transportation became possible for truck drivers to deliver some necessities to the area's residents.
(Photo caption: The icy yakutia region)
It can be seen that this time scientists were able to find the corpses of prehistoric creatures here, and indeed they have gone through a lot of hardships. When they saw the corpse, they were also very excited. Especially when they saw the well-preserved organizational structure on its body, they were even more excited and felt that the trip was not worthwhile.
According to reports, the corpse came from a prehistoric creature called the woolly rhinoceros. Even without the use of advanced instruments, just by looking at the integrity of its organization, you can know that it can bring great research value.
The woolly rhinoceros, also known as the long-haired rhinoceros, is a close relative of the modern rhinoceros. They have an average body length of 3.5-4 meters, a shoulder height of about 2 meters, and a weight of between 1.8-2.7 tons, which is very large. The most conspicuous thing about the woolly rhinoceros is the huge rhino horn at the end of the nose, which can reach 1 meter in length and even 1.4 meters in length. The woolly rhinoceros carcass found this time is small, and it can be seen that it is a rhinoceros that has not yet fully developed.
However, about 10,000 years ago, this huge rhinoceros was completely extinct. According to paleontologists, this was inextricably linked to the hunting of humans at that time. So today, we can only meet this animal from fossil samples. In addition to the Siberian region, some fossils of woolly rhinoceros have also been excavated in the Songnen Plain in northeast China and in the Ali region of Tibet.
< h1 align="center" > prehistoric woolly rhinoceros carcass</h1>
Even so, through the study of fossil bones and a small number of fossils such as hair and rhino horns previously found, the image of these animals can only be understood from the side. Therefore, the discovery of a woolly rhinoceros carcass retaining the rhinoceros tissue is undoubtedly great news for paleontologists.
(Photo caption: Restoration of the woolly rhinoceros)
According to reports, the integrity of this woolly rhinoceros corpse has reached a staggering 80%. It is the most complete woolly rhinoceros carcass unearthed in the Yakutia region and the best-preserved woolly rhinoceros carcass in the world to date.
Valery Plotnikov, a paleontologist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with the Siberian Times: "This young rhinoceros was only 3-4 years old, and when it died, it had already lived separately from its mother, and it was most likely drowned." Its gender is still unknown. We are still waiting for the results of radiocarbon analysis to determine how long it will survive, which is most likely to fall 20,000-50,000 years ago. ”
Even after tens of thousands of years, all the limbs, teeth, bones, most of the internal organs, fat and other tissues of this woolly rhinoceros have been preserved intact.
(Photo caption: Rhino horn is made up of keratin, which is relatively more difficult to preserve)
At the time of the excavation, the body did not appear to be 100% completely preserved, and it was covered with muddy water and dirty. But paleontologists have determined that beneath the muddy waters are many mysteries that are about to be solved, and that we can speculate on a wealth of information related to them.
They found that the woolly rhinoceros didn't have as much hair on its body as they thought, which meant it was probably in the summer, shed some of its hair to adapt to the temperature, and then died in the summer. This speculation is very reasonable, but further test results from the laboratory are still needed.
Paleontologists also speculate that it, along with another, younger woolly rhinoceros previously found in the area, adapted to the cold climate from an early age.
Plotnikov also introduced: "The last part of the corpse has some soft tissue, which may be part of its genitals and intestines. This gives us the possibility to study its feces, which also helps us reconstruct the prehistoric environment of that era. ”
In fact, scientists have also been controversial about the feeding habits of the woolly rhinoceros. Thus, through the droppings of the woolly rhinoceros, paleontologists may be able to put an end to the debate about the feeding habits of the woolly rhinoceros.
According to reports, the body of the woolly rhinoceros will be sent to the capital of Yakutia for further research and analysis. Next, they intend to send it to Sweden, where experts have a lot of experience and advanced technology in sequencing rhinos' genomes, which can help us more accurately speculate about its evolution and the cause of extinction.
< h1 align="center" > thoughts</h1>
With the thawing of Siberia's permafrost, we may unearth more fresh corpses of prehistoric creatures in the future. However, we do not want to see such an outcome, because it means that the process of global warming is still intensifying. As permafrost melts, not only prehistoric flora and fauna are released, but there may even be prehistoric viruses or bacteria. Today's creatures have never seen these germs, and may not have enough resistance to eventually cause terrible diseases.
(Photo caption: The melting of permafrost is a serious consequence of climate degradation)
Although we hope that paleontology can continue to make breakthroughs, we hope that the earth's environment can continue to be livable. If the development of human science and technology cannot even protect the earth, such blind development should also stop and wait for the deteriorating environment and climate.