A recent study has revealed that two 14,000-year-old “puppies” found in Siberian permafrost were actually wolf cub sisters, not domesticated dogs as previously thought. The discovery was made by an international team of researchers led by archaeologist Anne Kathrine Runge from the University of York.
Genetic testing and analysis of the animals’ bones and DNA showed that they belonged to a now-extinct wolf population unrelated to modern dogs. The wolves had eaten solid food, including meat from a woolly rhino and a small bird, but there is no indication that they obtained these foods directly from humans or scavenged from human mammoth butchering sites.
The researchers found that the wolves were only a couple of months old when they died, but both were eating solid food. The study suggests that the wolves may have been trapped in an underground den when it collapsed, trapping them inside. Further research on the Tumat cubs may yet produce more information about ancient wolves and their evolutionary line.
The discovery provides insight into the environment at the time and how these animals lived, and highlights the importance of analyzing genetic data from gut contents and chemical “fingerprints” in bones, teeth, and tissue.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/animals/land-mammals/14-000-year-old-ice-age-puppies-were-actually-wolf-sisters-that-dined-on-woolly-rhino-for-last-meal