Researchers have found two mummies from well-preserved cave lion babies and have now been able to determine the age. One of the two animals apparently died 28,000 years ago.
Yakutsk – A few years ago Russian researchers found two mummies of cave lion babies (Panthera Spelaea) trapped in the ice on the Semyuelyakh River. Now the scientists have been able to determine the age and the circumstances of the death of the animals. The young lions are still well preserved due to the permafrost, one of the animals has a light gray to yellowish fur and is male, the other is female and has a light brown fur. Due to the permafrost cold, enclosed animals are so well preserved that even thousands of years after their death (* FNP reported) conclusions can be drawn about their anatomy.
With the help of the so-called radiocarbon method, an international team of researchers was able to determine when the animals died. The female died 28,000 years ago, while the male died 44,000 years ago, reports the star .
Cave lion finds: so far only bones and traces
The researchers were unable to find any bite marks or signs of infection on the bodies of the two boys. However, they found injuries to the skull and skeleton, but these did not necessarily have anything to do with her death. It is therefore possible that they were not killed by a prey, but had a fatal accident.
Cave lions became extinct around 13,000 years ago. Since 1810, researchers have repeatedly been finding remains of the animals in North America and Eurasia. However, so far it has only been traces and bones, reports National Geographic. * FNP is an offer from IPPEN.Media.
