Considering its age of 44,000 years, this wolf is remarkably well-preserved.
In 2021, residents of Yakutia in eastern Russia discovered the wolf in deep permafrost, soil typically frozen all year but now starting to thaw due to rising global temperatures.
Researchers from the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Russia, are studying the mummified remains to learn more about this ancient animal.
The freezing conditions facilitated the mummification and excellent preservation of this Pleistocene predator. Some of its organs, as well as its teeth and hair, remain intact.
“It’s shocking, actually,” said Robert Losey, an anthropologist at the University of Alberta, who was not involved in the study. “It’s the only complete adult Pleistocene wolf that’s ever been found, which is remarkable and unique,” he added.
From such a well-preserved specimen, researchers can glean insights into its genetics, habits, nutrition, and even the ancient germs and viruses it carried. “Living bacteria can survive for thousands of years and serve as witnesses to those ancient times,” said Artemy Goncharov, a researcher at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, in a translated statement.
The wolf’s stomach may contain its last meal and much more.
According to Losey, this 44,000-year-old wolf likely belonged to an extinct species and was larger than modern wolves. Its genome will clarify its place in the canine family tree. After inspecting one of its teeth, experts concluded the wolf was an adult male, probably hunting in a flat, cold environment populated by mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, extinct horses, bison, and reindeer. Remains of these animals might still be in the wolf’s stomach. Researchers collected samples from its stomach and digestive tract and are currently awaiting results.
Losey believes researchers may also discover ancient bacteria in the wolf’s intestines and whether it had parasites. If any microbes are unknown to science, they might aid in developing future treatments.
This discovery is part of a broader effort to investigate other ancient creatures, such as fossil hares, horses, and bears. Researchers have previously dissected a Pleistocene wolf skull and are preparing to examine another wolf relic.
As global temperatures rise and permafrost melts, more ancient species like this one are emerging. For example, paleontologists in the Yukon are still amazed by an exceptionally well-preserved baby mammoth unearthed in 2022. However, not all permafrost discoveries are harmless.
In 2016, melting on Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula released anthrax from a frozen reindeer corpse, causing an outbreak that sickened 36 people and killed one child. Researchers are concerned that more dormant viruses might be released as the planet warms.
Last year, researcher Jean-Michel Claverie reported reviving a 48,000-year-old virus found in Siberian permafrost, which can still infect single-celled amoebas. “We see these amoeba-infecting viruses as surrogates for other possible viruses in permafrost,” Claverie told CNN. “We see signs of many, many different viruses. We know they’re there, but we don’t know if they are still alive.”
Any ancient viruses or bacteria found in the Yakutia wolf’s guts might help researchers better understand the germs that reside in permafrost species.