Scientists call the find groundbreaking. “This is the first and so far only discovery of its kind, a cave bear carcass still completely intact, including soft body parts,” said Lena Grigorieva of NEFU, the Northeastern Federal University in the city of Yakutsk. “It has been completely preserved, with all internal organs still in place. This discovery is of great importance to the whole world.”
It is an adult animal that, according to initial estimates, lived 22,000 to 39,500 years ago. Scientists at NEFU, with expertise in researching extinct woolly mammoths and rhinoceroses, will continue to study the carcass. “We use all modern means for this, genetics, molecular research, microbiology, and others,” says Grigorieva.
The carcass was exposed due to the disappearance of permafrost, the permanently frozen underground in polar regions. The permafrost thaws faster due to the continuous rise in temperature. As a result, remains of even more prehistoric animals have been uncovered in Siberia in recent years, such as mammoths, wool rhinos and cave lion cubs.
–
