Wolf With Teeth Intact Pulled Out of Siberia’s Ice 44,000 Years Later

An ancient wolf with its fearsome teeth intact has been uncovered from the permafrost in Siberia after 44,000 years.

Experts say the adult male wolf found in Yakutia, eastern Russia, has amazingly preserved fur, bone and even organs, as well as teeth and bone. It’s been transferred to the Mammoth Museum Laboratory of the Northeast Federal University in Yakutsk, where it’s been undergoing an autopsy.

The wolf was discovered by locals in 2021 in the permafrost at a depth of about 130 ft by the Tirekhtyakh River in the Abyi district of Yakutia, Russia’s coldest region.

Experts say it is the oldest known wolf to undergo such an autopsy – and even its stomach has survived.

“Its stomach has remained isolated, without contamination,” said Dr Albert Protopopov, head of the Mammoth Fauna Study Department of the Yakutia Academy of Sciences.

“As a result of the dissection, we hope to get an instantaneous cross-section of the biota of the ancient Pleistocene period. It was an active and large predator, and we have the opportunity to find out what it ate.

“Additionally, its stomach contains the remains of what its prey consumed.”

Wolf and other remains found in Siberia’s permafrost

Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen even during summer months – and can stay frozen for thousands of years. Ancient remains found in permafrost are among the most complete ever found because the ice stops organic matter from decomposing.

Dr Maxim Cheprasov, head of the Mammoth Museum Laboratory, said: “We extracted a premolar – a tooth – to determine the biological age of the find.

“However, based on the wear of the teeth and the development of the sagittal crest, we can already say that this is an adult male.”

Professor Artemy Goncharov, head of the Functional Genomics and Proteomics Laboratory at the Institute of Experimental Medicine, said such investigations could lead to modern-day benefits.

“We see that live bacteria can survive in the finds of fossil animals for millennia, serving as witnesses to those ancient times,” he said.

“We hope for good results that will allow us to further understand what ancient microbial communities were like, what function they performed, and how dangerous pathogenic bacteria were represented in their structure.

“It is possible that microorganisms will be found that can be applied in medicine and biotechnology as promising producers of biologically active substances. ‘Therefore, this research has a special influence on the future.”

Related: Meet the Best Preserved Woolly Mammoth Mummies from Siberia