These ancient frozen mysterious animals, do not try to resurrect them, otherwise it may lead to the next mass extinction. Hello everyone, I am the director of the Exploration Bureau, and in this issue, I will introduce you to 8 prehistoric animals trapped in the ice.
As global temperatures continue to warm, the frozen layer in many areas has also begun to melt, which allows us to witness many creatures trapped during the ice age. Of course, these creatures have high scientific research value, so they also attract a large number of tomb thieves to deliberately melt the permafrost, and then go to find those valuable animal organs. But in any case, as more and more ancient creatures reappeared, they gradually opened up our cognition. Without further ado, let's get started!
8. Long-haired rhinoceros
This unique rhinoceros was found in Pleistocene Eurasia, and its most peculiar features lie in its long hair and large horns. The rhino has been spotted twice, in 2020 and 2015, with the one found in 2015 being named "Sasha." The researchers did not tell if it was a male or female, but speculated from the size of its horn that it may have died while weaning. Sasha is well preserved and still has hair on her body, leaving an ear, an eye and a nose. The woolly rhino, discovered in 2020, is much larger and better preserved, it still retains most of its internal organs and is one of the best-preserved animals found in the region.
7. Brown bears
There are many subspecies of brown bears, but many people forget how long this creature has been living on Earth. In 2020, a brown bear found in permafrost was initially thought to be a cave bear, but later it was discovered that it was an extinct subspecies of brown bear living in Europe and Asia. It is considered a predominantly carnivorous beast, often eating fish and shrimp and cow and deer, and even tigers and wolves. But the species went extinct 24,000 years ago, and analysis shows that the bear was actually a brown bear, but the brown bear was 60 kilograms, it is thought to be about 2-3 years old, and when it died, you can see that it was well preserved.
6. Gray wolves
Like brown bears, you can see gray wolves found in many countries around the world. This frozen gray wolf specimen was discovered in Canada in 2016, when workers were digging for gold but inadvertently dug up an ice-gray wolf. We can see clearly that the gray wolf is still small, it is a female, and experts estimate that it has been frozen in permafrost for 57,000 years. It was thought to be only 7 weeks old, and before she died, there was speculation that its lair might have collapsed and been buried inside, which is why it is so well preserved. It is the most complete mummy of the gray wolf ever found, even 100% intact, the only thing missing is its eyes. So, you should realize how long gray wolves have been on this planet, right?
5. Siberian bison
This is an extinct bison that once inhabited the same grasslands as mammoths, which were once one of the most widely distributed creatures in the grasslands. Siberian bison are very similar in size and appearance to American bison, and it is likely that they lived very similar lives. One of the specimens, unearthed in northern Siberia in 2011, has an intact heart, brain and digestive system, and some of its organs have shrunk over time, but its blood vessels are in almost perfect condition. There is growing interest in cloning some extinct Ice Age creatures, and scientists believe they can clone this creature because it is well preserved. Of course, the ethics behind cloning extinct creatures is very complex, which is why it is still a very controversial topic.
4. Lenama
The remains of the foal were found in Yakutia in 2018 as a 2-3 month-old Rena horse that died after falling into a natural trap. Its fur, hooves, tail and internal organs are well preserved in permafrost, and the team believes that cells containing enough undamaged genetic material can be isolated to "resurrect" the extinct breed in the future. According to a team of experts from Russia and South Korea, tissue samples can be taken from the well-preserved remains of foals from 42,000 years ago and further cloned. The remains of the dried foal found are the best preserved of the ancient horse remains, and cell extraction experiments continued until the end of April 2019.
3. Adélie penguins
Now we can move away from Siberia and North America to the more icy Antarctic world. In 2016, scientists discovered something unexpected at Cape Ilysar in Antarctica — an 800-year-old Adélie penguin. Although the penguin was not alive, it was an ancient remains, but it was covered with hair, and scientists did not know that it was an "ancestor-level" penguin, and he thought it was just some unlucky penguin that had just died. However, these penguins have not been found in this area for hundreds of years, which makes this discovery even more bizarre. Upon further analysis, the bodies were thought to be about 800-5,000 years old. To this day, it remains one of the most incredible discoveries in the area.
2. Mammoth
Mammoths lived around 4.8 million to 10,000 years ago, a representative creature of the Quaternary ice age, and were the largest elephants in the world at that time. While many mammoth specimens have been found throughout history, two stand out, in 2007 and 2022. The baby elephant, discovered in 2007, dates back about 40,000 years, and scientists have analyzed that the baby elephant may have drowned in an ice cave, which is one reason it is well preserved. Another specimen was found in the mine in 2022 and is the best preserved body ever found, even though its skin remains intact. So, do you think they can beat modern elephants by resurrecting them?
1. Cave lion
Finally, let's take a look at the prehistoric king of all beasts! The cave lion is an extinct cat that most likely evolved in Europe. Fossil skeleton samples show that the cave lion is so unique that it is genetically isolated from modern lions, while some experts believe it has more in common with tigers, so it is definitely an unprovoked predator. In 2017, an incredible specimen was unearthed in eastern Siberia, this specimen was a cub, which scientists named "Sparta", which is thought to have died very suddenly, but it is still one of the best-preserved ice age animals ever discovered, its fur and whiskers can still be seen, and it is thought that it may have died in an avalanche, which may be why it is so well preserved.
These are the 8 most complete animals found in ice. What other intact creatures do you know? Welcome to share your knowledge in the comment area.