He died at least 22,000 years ago. You probably didn’t think it would be so well preserved thousands of years later. Some reindeer herders found him. They were very surprised when they discovered a cave bear in a cave in the Russian Arctic. The ice age bear, found intact and preserved in ice, is the first of its kind to be found in such a good state of conservation.
All organs are there and the snout can even be seen. Scientists tasked with analyzing the remains are delighted. So far, only the bones and teeth of these Ice Age bears have been found. They evaluate the statement of “world significance”.
Unique and special
“It is the first and only find of its kind: a bear carcass with soft tissue. It is completely preserved. It has all internal organs, including the nose, “explained Lena Grigorieva. She is one of the greatest experts in Russia on extinct species. He believes they may be able to find predator DNA.
The animal’s body appeared on the Big Liakhovsky Island. It is located between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea in northern Russia. It is analyzed by scientists who are experts on woolly mammoths and extinct rhinos. International colleagues are invited to participate in the study.
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) it is a prehistoric species or subspecies. It lived in Eurasia in the mid and late Pleistocene and died out about 15,000 years ago. Preliminary analysis suggests that the newly discovered specimen is between 22,000 and 39,500 years old.
Studies to clone it
“You need to do a radiocarbon analysis to determine the exact age of the bear.” Says the lead researcher Maxim Cheprasov from the laboratory of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk. Not only that. The team will prepare a program for your comprehensive study. It encompasses various modern methods of scientific research such as molecular, cellular and microbiological genetics.
‘The research is planned on a very large scale. Like the study of the famous mammoth on Little Liakhovsky Island, ”says Grigorieva. It refers to the excellently preserved remains of a mammoth that lived 28,000 years ago. Scientists called it “buttercup”. It was used to study the possibility of cloning. The ice age bear that was found intact can also follow this path.
Important discoveries have been made in recent years. Mammoths, woolly rhinos, ice age foals and several cave lion cubs. It happens when the permafrost melts in Siberia.
