At 20,000 years old, a prehistoric rhino was found in Yakutia, with a full stomach from its last supper.
A prehistoric rhinoceros was found almost intact in eastern Siberia. It is estimated that the animal lived about 20 thousand years ago and that it died shortly after eating its last supper, which was found undigested inside its stomach.
After the discovery, the team of paleontologists who analyzed the remains determined that it may have reached three years of age.
It was located in the extreme north of Yakutia, one of the twenty-two republics that make up the 85 federal subjects of Russia. The body was transferred for observation to Yakutsk, capital of the Republic of Sakha
A complete copy
Despite the age of the remains, it caught the attention of paleontologists that the rhinoceros has complete teeth and all of its organs. In addition, it was exhumed with most of its original fur, a honey color unusual for the species.
According to the scientists in charge of analyzing it, this is the best-preserved rhinoceros that has been found in the area. Project leader Dr. Valery Plotnikov stated the following regarding the animal's conservation status for The Siberian Times:
“THE GENDER OF THE ANIMAL IS STILL UNKNOWN. WE'RE WAITING THAT RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS DEFINE WHEN YOU LIVED. THE MOST LIKELY RANGE OF DATES IS BETWEEN 20 THOUSAND AND 50 THOUSAND YEARS AGO. THE RHINO HAS A VERY THICK SHORT COAT, VERY PROBABLY IT DIED IN SUMMER ”.
A young but independent rhino
From the condition of the body, Plotnikov and her team determined that it is a very young animal. However, when he died he was old enough to live independently of his parents. Judging by the thickness of its fur, it was weather-resistant enough to fend for itself.
Most impressive is that the corpse is 80% intact. It was discovered by a local Yakutia resident, very close to a spot where a similar woolly rhino cub had been found in 2014.
At the time, the baby was estimated to date back 34,000 years. Given the status of this new discovery, they may have been contemporaries.
photos credit: AFP photo
