The rare woolly rhinoceros mummy, which still retains its horn and soft tissues, will be fully excavated in the coming months.
Gold miners in Siberia recently uncovered the mummy of a woolly rhinoceros with intact horn and soft tissues. The mining group in the Sakha Republic discovered the remains while digging a new quarry in the Oymyakon district. Following the discovery, researchers from the Northeast Federal University (NEFU) in Yakutsk visited the area and collected the rhinoceros horn. The remaining parts of the woolly rhinoceros mummy (Coelodonta antiquitatis) will be excavated in the coming months, according to a report from Live Science on August 7.
The head accompanied by the intact horn of the woolly rhinoceros. (Image: Metro).
“This is a truly unique discovery, allowing us to study the history of the region, its ancient fauna, climate, and geological conditions in greater depth,” said Anatoly Nikolaev, the rector of NEFU.
Permafrost in Siberia provides ideal conditions for preserving ancient organisms. The cold conditions mummify animals, dehydrating soft tissues and protecting them in a frozen environment. The discovery of soft tissues is very rare, helping scientists learn more about the animal’s life and the environment at the time of its death compared to bones. The specimen also offers a better opportunity to collect ancient DNA.
Researcher Maxim Cheprasov, head of the laboratory at the NEFU Mammoth Museum, stated that this is the fifth time scientists have found woolly rhinoceroses with preserved soft tissues. Woolly rhinoceroses lived during the Late Pleistocene (approximately 11,700 – 2 million years ago), first appearing around 300,000 years ago in northern Eurasia. As the last Ice Age came to an end, their habitat shrank until only a few locations in Siberia remained. Eventually, they went extinct about 10,000 years ago due to climate change and human activities.
The NEFU research team plans to study the rhinoceros horn before excavating the rest of the mummy. According to morphological parameters, the mummy belongs to an adult individual, Cheprasov noted. The exact age and sex of the animal will be determined after a comprehensive study of the mummy.
The discovery of the woolly rhinoceros is part of several projects at NEFU aimed at studying the Pleistocene fauna in Siberia. In June, researchers examined a 44,000-year-old wolf mummy from the permafrost in the Sakha Republic.
