The animal, which is perfectly preserved thanks to the permafrost, is approximately 30,000 years old.
In 2020, a unique find was made on the Lyakhovsky Islands: a perfectly preserved adult cave bear. He survived not only his nose, but also his teeth, as well as internal organs.
Scientists believe that this cave bear died approximately 22,000 - 39,500 years ago. This bear (Ursus spelaeus) lived during the last ice age and died out 15,000 years ago.
The carcass of the animal was found by reindeer herders who turned to researchers at the North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk. “This is the first and only find of its kind - a whole bear carcass with soft tissues,” said Elena Grigorieva, a researcher at NEFU.
Until now, scientists have come across only the skeletons of cave bears that lived at a time when much of Europe and Asia was covered with glaciers, side by side with mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths.
The cave bears were quite massive. Males could weigh up to one ton, which is about 200-250 kg more than the weight of large modern bears.
The find has not yet been carbon-dated. Genetic analysis was not done either. Scientists just have to start researching it.
