Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/young-woolly-rhino-discovered/
Most of us think of the melting permafrost as being a bad thing but there may just be a silver lining to that dark cloud. That was recently seen when a well-preserved woolly rhino was revealed as the permafrost melted. It had been frozen solid for so long that it’s internal organs were still mostly intact.
The Siberian Times reported that the woolly rhino was found in the Yakutia region in Russia’s extreme north as the permafrost melted. It happened in August and experts feel as if it is the best-preserved specimen found as of yet.
The animal likely died between 20,000 and 50,000 years ago and was only a few years old at the time. The carcass is preserved in a way that has not been seen before, including some of the hazel colored hair, intestines, soft tissue, teeth, fat, and a horn.
According to the Siberian Times, Dr. Valery Plotnikov from the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) said: “The young rhino was between three and four years old and lived separately from its mother when it died, most likely by drowning.”
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The sex of the animal has not yet been determined, nor has the date when it was alive. When the radiocarbon analysis comes back, it should help to pin that date down.
Interestingly, a baby woolly rhino that they named Sasha was discovered not far from this discovery. Sasha had strawberry blonde fur and is thought to be about 34,000 years old.
One of the interesting things about the new rhino, as was described by Dr. Plotnikov, is the “very thick short underfur” found on the animal. Thanks to Sasha, woolly rhinoceroses are known to have thick hair, which was only able to be seen on cave paintings prior to that discovery. This new discovery now adds to the evidence that from a very young age, the woolly rhinos were adapted for living in the cold area.
At this time, the new discovery is still calling Yakutia home until ice roads form and it is possible to transport the specimen to the region’s capital.
These wooly rhinos are not the only interesting discovery to come from Yakutia, but there are many ancient animal discoveries that come from there. Since the warming of the region and the thaw of the permafrost, especially in the warmer months, these new discoveries are coming in faster and faster. Although we may not look at global warming as having any positive effect, this may just be something we can look at in a positive way.
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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
