Named Zhùr by the local Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation people, the creature was discovered in the Klondike gold fields, near Dawson City, by a gold miner who was blowing a wall of frozen mud with water.
“This mummy is so complete, she actually has all of her skin, most of her fur … all of her soft tissues, and she’s about 56,000 years old,” said Julie Meachen, associate professor of anatomy at Des Moines University. in Iowa, told CNN.
The female pup is, according to Meachen, “the oldest, most complete wolf ever found,” allowing researchers to delve deeper into what her life might have been like.
Using X-ray techniques, experts have determined that the puppy, which was preserved in permafrost, died at 6 or 7 weeks old.
Meanwhile, a technique called stable isotope analysis revealed that the animal lived during a time when glaciers were receding.
“There weren’t many glaciers around, which means there was a lot more fresh water,” she said. ‘There were many streams, many rivers flowing and probably many other wildlife around. She lived in a lavish time. ‘
The wolf cub’s diet, researchers found, was influenced by her proximity to water: Isotope analysis found that “she and her mother ate mostly aquatic resources – things like salmon, maybe some shorebirds,” Meachen said.
A DNA analysis revealed that the pup is descended from ancient wolves – the ancestors of modern wolves – from Russia, Siberia and Alaska.
“It’s no surprise – she’s related to things that were there then,” she explained. But the nice thing about it, that most people might not know, is that Ice Age wolves were only remotely related to wolves out there today.
“They are still the same species, but they are very different because they belong to the same species. Their genetics have changed quite a bit over time – the diversity of the wolf has diminished and expanded again over time.”
“She’s really an old wolf, and she was related to all the wolves around her at the time,” Meachen said.
Very specific conditions are needed to create a permafrost mummy, the researchers said, although several well-preserved wolf cubs have been brought from Siberia. This cub, found in North America, was particularly rare, however.
“It is rare to find these mummies in the Yukon. The animal must die in a permafrost site, where the ground is constantly frozen, and they must be buried very quickly, as with any other fossilization process,” Meachen said in a statement. “If it stays on the frozen tundra too long, it will disintegrate or be eaten.”
Because of her “pristine” condition, experts believe the wolf cub died instantly, perhaps when her den collapsed, as data showed that she was not starving.
The research was published Monday in the journal Current Biology.