Well-Preserved Ice Age Woolly Rhino found in Siberia

A well-preserved Ice Age woolly rhino was found in Siberia with many of its internal organs still intact. This was reported last week by the Russian media.  

The carcass of the woolly rhino was revealed by melting  permafrost in Yakutia, Russia's extreme north in August 2020. The scientists have been waiting for the ice roads in the Arctic region to become passable to deliver the remains to a lab for studies next month.

The remains of the woolly rhino is one of the best-preserved specimens of the Ice Age animal found till date.

Key Facts about the Ice-Age Woolly Rhino

•According to a paleontologist with the regional branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the woolly rhino was likely to be 3-4 years old when it passed away. It is likely to have died due to drowning.

•The carcass of the animal is so well-preserved that most of its soft tissues are still intact, including a part of the intestines, thick hair and a lump of fat.

•The young rhino's horn was also found next to it, which is a rarity, because it composes rather quickly. According to scientists, some signs of wear on the horn of the young rhino suggested that it was actively using it for food. 

•The scientists have dated the carcass to be around 20,000 to 50,000-years-old. However, more precise dating will be done after the specimen is taken to a lab for radiocarbon studies.

•The remains of the animal were found on the Tirekhtyakh river in the Abyisk district. The area is close to the region where the remains of another young woolly rhino was recovered in 2014. That specimen, which the scientists called Sasha, was dated at 34,000 years old.

Background

Several major discoveries of woolly rhinos, mammoths, cave lion cubs and ice age foal have been made in recent years due to the melting of permafrost across vast areas of Siberia because of global warming.

Previously in September 2020, the remains of an Ice Age bear was also found in northeastern Russia with the animal's nose and teeth still intact. In previous discoveries, only skulls and bones were found