Given its age of 44,000 years, this wolf appears to be in remarkably decent shape.
Residents of Yakutia in eastern Russia discovered the wolf in deep permafrost in 2021. This soil, usually frozen year-round, is beginning to thaw in some areas due to rising global temperatures.
Researchers from the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Russia, are now studying the mummified remains to learn more about the animal.
The freezing conditions enabled the mummification and proper preservation of the Pleistocene predator. Some of its organs, along with 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, making it remarkably unique.”
A well-preserved ancient animal like this offers insights into its genetics, habits, diet, and even the ancient bacteria and viruses it carried. “Living bacteria can survive for thousands of years, acting as witnesses to those ancient times,” said Artemy Goncharov, a researcher at the Institute of Experimental Medicine.
The wolf’s stomach may contain its last meal and more.
This 44,000-year-old wolf likely belonged to an extinct species and was larger than modern wolves, according to Losey. Its genome will reveal its place in the canine family tree. Experts determined the wolf was an adult male after inspecting one of its teeth. It likely hunted in a flat, cold environment populated by mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, extinct horses, bison, and reindeer. Some remains of these creatures might still be in the wolf’s stomach.
Researchers collected samples from its stomach and digestive tract and are awaiting the results. Losey believes they may learn about ancient bacteria in the wolf’s intestines and whether it had parasites. Unknown microbes could help develop future treatments.
This discovery is part of a broader effort to study 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 the world’s permafrost melts, more ancient species like this one emerge. Paleontologists in the Yukon, for example, are still amazed by a well-preserved baby mammoth unearthed in 2022.
However, not everything in permafrost is 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 as the planet warms and permafrost thaws, additional viruses may be lurking. Last year, researcher Jean-Michel Claverie reported reviving a 48,000-year-old virus found in Siberian permafrost that could still infect single-celled amoebas. “We view these amoeba-infecting viruses as surrogates for all other possible viruses that might be in permafrost,” Claverie told CNN. “We see signs of many, many different viruses. So, we know they’re there. We don’t know for certain whether they are still alive.”
Any ancient viruses or bacteria found in the Yakutia wolf’s gut could help researchers better understand the microorganisms that inhabit permafrost species.