A fuzzy orb unearthed in Canada turns out to be a 30,000-year-old squirrel. Researchers believe that the animal died during its hibernation.
A veterinarian in Yukon, the Canadian territory where the find was made, scanned the fuzzy orb. Researchers discovered that it was an arctic ground squirrel. This species of squirrel still exists and can also be found on the spot where the orb was found.
“It’s not quite recognizable until you see the little legs and claws. Then you see a little tail and then the ears,” study leader and paleontologist Grant Zazula told the Canadian CBC News.
Gold diggers dug up the orb with the squirrel skeleton in 2018. They took it to a research center nearby.
Previously, similar fluffy balls were found in the same place, but there was nothing in them. That is why researchers did nothing with this sphere for a long time.
Fluffy orb with squirrel reexamined
Recently, researchers studied the sphere and were surprised to find a skeleton inside. The researchers assumed that the skeleton would be in poor condition. After the scan, that turned out not to be the case.
“It’s amazing to think that this little creature was running around the Yukon Territory thousands of years ago,” says Zazula.
The researchers named the squirrel ‘Hester’ after the place where the squirrel was found. Hester will soon be on display in a museum in Yukon.
