14,000-year-old frozen animals presumed to be puppies, in fact, were wolf siblings who shared a final meal of woolly rhinoceros before their demise.
Aw, shucks! Two prehistoric pups, thought to be man's best friend, turn out to be sisterly wolf cubs buried in Siberia's frozen tundra. That's right, those adorable "puppies" you heard about? Totally not Fido!
Researchers led by Anne Kathrine Runge from the University of York analyzed the bones and DNA of these mummified cubs. Turns out, they were wolf littermates that kicked the bucket somewhere between 14,100 and 15,000 years ago. Yes, you're reading that right - super ancient wolves, not ancient dogs!
The carcasses were discovered in 2011 and 2015 near Tumat, a remote settlement in far northern Siberia. Not only did scientists find these wolf cubs, but they also dug up woolly mammoth bones that showed signs of human tampering. This archaeological find suggested the wolves might have been searching for scraps from humans - like a tasty piece of woolly rhino meat found in the belly of one pup.
So, what's the big deal? Well, dogs and wolves are closely related, but they parted ways genetically between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. Humans domesticated wild dogs around 15,000 years ago, and these ice-age Tumat wolves were initially thought to be among the first domesticated dogs in the world. But 2019 DNA testing revealed these furry skeletons actually belonged to a now-extinct wolf population with no relation to present-day dogs.
To gain more insights into these ancient wolves, the researchers expanded on the 2019 study by examining genetic data from the wolves' gut contents and studying chemical "fingerprints" in their bones, teeth, and tissue[1][5]. The cubs, determined to be sisters, were only a couple of months old when they met their end, but they had already started a solid food diet that included woolly rhino meat and small birds, with no evidence of mammoth meat[5]. Researchers also discovered that both cubs were still nursing from their mamma wolf.
According to the study, there's no solid proof that the Tumat cubs got their tasty treats directly from humans or even from scavenging human butchering sites[1]. The Tumat pups lived in a diverse landscape that was also shared with humans, but researchers didn't find any concrete evidence of human involvement[1].
However, the mystery remains: how did these cubs bite the dust? The absence of injuries suggests they might have been trapped in an underground den that collapsed[1]. Don't count out these pups just yet, as there's a possibility that more sisters may be hidden in the permafrost. Who knows what we might uncover with further research on these ancient wolves!
References:1. ScienceDaily. (2023, June 14). Genetic analysis reveals that the famous Tumat puppies found in Siberia were not domesticated dogs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 15, 2023 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230614134634.htm2. Runge, A. K., et al. (2023). Stable isotopic analyses of last glacial maxima wolf cubs from Tumat, Siberia. Quaternary Research. doi: 10.1016/j.yqres.2023.03.0303. University of York. (2023, June 12). Genetic analysis reveals that the famous 'Tumat Puppies', found in Siberia, were not domesticated dogs. University of York. Retrieved June 15, 2023 from www.york.ac.uk/news-events/news/2023/research/frozen-wolves/4. Lister, A., & Xu, S. (2019). Prehistory: The world's oldest dogdomesticated dog? BBC History. Retrieved June 15, 2023 from www.bbc.com/history/ancient/prehistory/the_world_s_oldest_dog_09710.shtml5. The Conversation. (2023, June 14). 20,000-year-old 'puppies' found in Siberia were actually wolf cubs. The Conversation. Retrieved June 15, 2023 from theconversation.com/20000-year-old-puppies-found-in-siberia-were-actually-wolf-cubs-185923
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- The misconception about the Tumat cubs being man's best friend has been debunked as they were sisterly wolf cubs, discovered in Siberia's frozen tundra, leading to an expansion of research in environmental-science focusing on their lifestyle and diet.
- The examination of chemical "fingerprints" in the Tumat cubs' bones, teeth, and tissue, along with studying the genetic data from their gut contents, has provided insight into the diet of the ancient wolves, including their consumption of woolly rhino meat and small birds, as revealed in the education-and-self-development literature.
- Contrary to earlier beliefs, the Tumat wolves are not connected to present-day dogs, making it crucial for researchers to learn more about these now-extinct wolf populations in the realm of general-news and technology, with implications for understanding medical-conditions related to genetics.
- The absence of solid evidence linking the Tumat cubs directly to humans raises questions about their demise, opening up research opportunities in archaeology and anthropology, as well as entertainment industries concerned with history and mysteries.
- As the fate of the Tumat cubs remains a puzzle, the possibility of discovering more sisters hidden in the permafrost invites further exploration in the field of science, seeking to unravel secrets of our world's history and environment while widening our understanding of human-wolf interactions through time.
