Sparta is a 28,000 year old lion cub found in Siberia

A cave lion cub was found in Siberia. It’s worth noting that the surprising thing about it is that it was almost intact from the melting of the permafrost. The calf is said to be 28,000 years old. Called Sparta, it is a 28,000 year old lion cub and is the best preserved until 2021.

Sparta is a baby lion
Sparta – Infobae – Photo: (Quaternary)
Sparta is a 28,000 year old lion cub and is the best preserved

The cub was called Sparta and was found on the banks of the Semyu Lyakh River in the Yakutia region in 2018. Its state of preservation is also amazing, its whiskers and teeth are excellent. They even suspect that he may have traces of breast milk in his internal organs.

Near this calf, they also found the remains of a male cave lion they named Boris. It’s a puppy of almost the same age, but that’s older. Scientists estimate that it lived around 43,000 years ago.

The male was found about 14 meters from where the boy was found, but they already know that they did not belong to the same herd. This is because radiocarbon tests showed they lived a huge difference in years.

The Siberian tundra offers a wide variety of mummified animals

The Siberian steppe is a place where many animals once lived. Therefore, due to the melting of the permafrost, they found many remains of mummified animals that are now extinct in the area. Some of these animals are mammoths, cave bears, a lark, and woolly rhinos.

Despite the discoveries in the Siberian tundra, not all are officially reported. Because of climate change, many “trophy” hunters are looking for mammoth remains to sell their tusks on the black market.

Coincidentally, it was these people who reported the discovery of the two little lions in 2018. Eventually, the study of the mummified remains was carried out by a group of Swedish scientists and published in the science journal Quaternary.

What is known about the puppies found?

The boys were between one and two months old at the time of death. Ultimately, they could not determine the cause of death. In the same place they found two more puppies a few years ago, whom they named Dina and Uyan. But they weren’t so well preserved.

Sparta is a cave lion
Sparta – DW

The cave lion has been an extinct species for millennia. Very little is known about its lifestyle due to the lack of material. Everything known about this species is based on fossils, cave paintings, and mummified specimens that have been found.

According to the study’s scientific authors, the Sparta calf is the best preserved of all mummified specimens found by 2021. Its fur, internal organs and skeleton are intact, which is unique among any finds found in Siberia.

Researchers believe that if they find traces of breast milk in the calf, they can determine what diet their mother had. The cave lion is a well-known ancestor of today’s African lion.

In the offspring they found, they found that the Siberian species had a thicker undercoat. It’s likely a mutation that the African species doesn’t have. This inner layer could help cave lions withstand low temperatures.

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