Sensation in Siberia Researchers find three-week-old sabre-toothed kitten in the eternal ice
The discovery of a mummy of a small sabre-toothed tiger in Siberia is a sensation: the remains of the prehistoric predator are exceptionally well preserved - right down to the whiskers.
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- Researchers have discovered the mummy of a sabre-toothed cat that died at the age of three weeks in the eternal ice of Siberia.
- The discovery is considered a scientific sensation.
- The remains of the animal were exceptionally well preserved and allowed comparisons to be made with modern-day cats of prey.
Spherical paws, round head and plush dark fur: a Russian research team has found the remains of a young sabre-toothed tiger in Siberia. The mummy is exceptionally well preserved.
However, the prehistoric predator does not look terrifying. The kitten was just three weeks old when it died.
As the research group reports in the journal "Scientifc Reports", the animal was discovered in 2020 near the Badjaricha River in the Yakutia region above the Arctic Circle. It had been preserved there in a chunk of ice for thousands of years.
Using the radiocarbon method, the scientists determined that the sabre-toothed cat lived around 35,500 to 37,000 years ago, i.e. in the late Pleistocene. The kitten belonged to the now extinct species Homotherium latidens: the animals often referred to as sabre-toothed tigers are more correctly called sabre-toothed cats.
Small ears and a thick neck
The kitten's head and even individual whiskers, the front legs with the clawed paws and the animal's front body have been preserved in detail. Bones from the hips and hind legs were also found.
The research team compared the remains with the anatomy of modern lion cubs of the same age and found a number of differences. In the study, the authors particularly emphasize the thicker, muscular neck region, the smaller ears and longer front legs of the sabre-toothed cat as well as the greatly shortened and broadened nose.
In addition, the prehistoric young animal had a denser, darker coat and wider, rounded paws. This is presumably an adaptation to the cold environment and walking in the snow.
Overall, the discovery of the mummy of Homotherium latidens in Yakutia expands our understanding of the distribution of the genus and confirms its presence in the late Pleistocene of Asia, according to the study: "For the first time in the history of palaeontological research, the external appearance of an extinct mammal that has no equivalent in the modern fauna has been directly examined."