Hi, it’s Katrina!
From Stuckie the dog found in a tree to a 42,000 year-old-foal with liquid blood, here
are 8 fascinating discoveries of mummified and petrified animal remains!
8.
“STUCKIE” THE DOG
During the 1980’s, a team of loggers with the Georgia Kraft Company discovered a terrifying
petrified dog while cutting down a tree in a grove of chestnut oaks in southern Georgia.
The dog was found inside of a hollow trunk after the top of the tree was cut off.
Its teeth were bared as if it were very much alive and ready to fight.
Experts studied the carcass and determined that it was likely the remains of a hunting
dog from the 1960s.
The poor dog probably chased a small animal, such as a squirrel, up through the tree and
got stuck as it climbed up the narrowing trunk.
Animals that die in the wild typically decay or are eaten by scavengers.
However, given the dog’s position within the tree trunk, it was inaccessible to foragers
and protected against the elements.
Besides all that, the dog had wedged itself into a chestnut oak tree, which contains tannins
that are used in taxidermy and tanning to preserve animal pelts and is thus conducive
to the mummification process.
Moisture was sucked out of the carcass by the dry environment provided by the dry air
inside of the tree trunk, further contributing to the preservation of the dog.
The loggers took the mummified dog to the Southern Forest World museum in Waycross,
Georgia, where it remains on display and is affectionately nicknamed “Stuckie.”
Not sure what is scarier, finding the dog, or being the dog.
7.
“BUTTERCUP” THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH
In May 2013, a well-preserved woolly mammoth with a pool of liquid blood under its belly
was discovered in the ice on Maliy Lyakhovsky Island in Siberia.
During a necropsy that was performed in Yakutsk, scientists collected blood and tissue samples
that they hope can be used to clone the animal.
The frozen mammoth was nicknamed “Buttercup.”
Tori Herridge, a paleobiologist at the Natural History Museum in London, described the excitement
of waiting for the carcass to thaw, as well as some not-so-pleasant aspects of the experience:
“We had to wait until she defrosted in stages, so we could get deeper and deeper into her
innards,” she explained, before she went into detail about the odor: “It smelled
obviously of rotting meat, but weirdly rotting milk as well…and then overlaid on that the
strongest bathroom cleaning agent you could possibly think of.”
Despite the nauseating aroma, the necropsy, which was led by Simon Grigoriev yielded interesting
results.
According to an analysis of the mammoth’s teeth, she was in her 50’s when she died.
An examination of her tusks, whose growth rate changed when a mammoth was pregnant or
lactating, showed that she had birthed at least eight calves, and at least one of them
had died.
There were also rocks in her intestines, which she may have swallowed while grazing, and
golf-ball sized spheres in her liver, which may have been gallstones.
These findings indicate that the mammoth was unhealthy when she died after getting stuck
in a peat bog.
Her flesh was especially well-preserved.
Herridge likened her muscle to “a piece of steak” and described that it was juicy
and red until it was cut into, and turned brown once it came into contact with the air.
Scientists are puzzled about why the blood remained liquid at such low temperatures,
but are skeptical of the proposed theory by Russian researchers that it might have natural
anti-freezing properties.
That just doesn’t seem very likely but I guess you never know!
6.
Animals in EGYPTIAN TOMB
In April of this year, scientists announced the discovery of an ancient Egyptian tomb
containing the mummified remains of a married couple and over 50 animals, including mice,
ibex, cats, eagles, and falcons.
The tomb was found in the city of Akhmim, which is about four miles from Sohag, and
dates back to the Ptolemaic period - more than 2,000 years ago.
The burial ground’s entrance was discovered when a gang got caught trying to smuggle artifacts
out of the side of a hill and were arrested.
It’s currently being excavated by a team led by Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General
of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The team believes that the tomb belonged to a high-ranking official named Tutu and his
wife, T-Cheret Isis.
Its walls are covered in perfectly-preserved inscriptions that include the names of the
family members of the deceased.
Authorities hope that this recent discovery will help to boost Egypt’s tourism industry,
which has suffered since the 2011 popular uprising and attacks.
5.
EXTINCT CAVE LION CUB
In the Yakutia region of Siberia in September 2017, a local resident stumbled upon the well-preserved
carcass of a 50,000-year-old extinct cave lion cub on the banks of the Tirekhtykh River.
The animal was probably one-and-a-half to two months old when it perished, according
to researchers.
This wasn’t the first time nearly perfect Ice Age animal remains were found in Siberia’s
heartland, as you’ve learned in today’s video.
In 2015, two ancient lion cubs were found and dated between 25,000 and 55,000 years
old.
The cubs, named Uyan and Dina, were around two or three weeks old when they were crushed
by the collapsed roof of their den.
Their remains were unearthed thousands of years later due to summer flooding.
The lion that was found in 2017 was preserved even better than Uyan and Dina, with all four
of its limbs and no traces of external injuries
According to Sarah Gibbens of National Geographic, cave lions roamed the European Steppe until
around 10,000 years ago.
Most knowledge of the species was derived from their bones and tracks prior to the discovery
of the cubs’ remains.
Because the remains contain soft tissue, scientists hope to eventually clone the animal.
Do you think it’s a good idea to clone extinct animals?
Let me know in the comments below!
Would you like the cave lion back?
4.
PETRIFIED HORSE FROM POMPEII
In late 2018, archaeologists working in the ancient town of Pompeii discovered the petrified
remains of a harnessed horse.
Pompeii was covered in volcanic ash during the massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius in
79 AD.
During the eruption, hundreds of tons of lava and toxic gas were produced, which led to
the death and petrification (or the petrifaction)of the horse, as well as other horses in the
same stable.
This was no ordinary man’s horse.
Experts revealed that the horse was tall, well-groomed, and adorned with a saddle with
bronze trimmings.
The stable the horse was in when it died was found in a Pompeii suburb, on the grounds
of a large villa that may have belonged to a high-ranking military official.
According to Massimo Osanna, head of the Pompeii archaeological park, the stable also contained
the remains of two or three other horses that were in various states of decay.
Thanks to the preserving properties of the ash that entombed the animals, at least one
of the carcasses maintained most of its soft tissue.
Others, meanwhile, were reduced to skeletons.
3.
YUKON CARIBOU & WOLF PUP
During the summer of 2016, the mummified remains of an Ice Age wolf pup and caribou calf were
discovered in the permafrost by gold miners near Dawson City, Yukon.
Both animals were radiocarbon-dated to at least 50,000 years ago.
The dog’s head, tail, skin, and fur were still intact.
The caribou was nearly equally well-preserved - its remains consisted of its torso, front
limbs, and head.
According to Yukon government paleontologist Grant Zazula, it’s the only Ice
Age wolf ever found.
It was in such good condition, he even referred to it as “cute.”
Both carcasses are among the oldest mummified soft tissue ever found.
Zazula also mentioned that a veterinarian had examined the wolf pup’s remains and
believed it was no more than eight weeks old when it died.
These discoveries were victories for Canadian researchers, who Zazula admits get a bit jealous
of the frequent animal discoveries of Ice Age mammals in Siberia.
The wolf cub and caribou probably roamed the Yukon at the same time as animals like the
woolly mammoth, western camel, and scimitar cat.
The remains are on display in Whitehorse at the Beringia Interpretive Centre so if you
are ever there, you can go see them in person!
2.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LIONS
While you already know that some preserved lions were discovered in Siberia, you may
be surprised to learn that lion remains have also been found in Egypt.
Cats, including lions, were revered in ancient Egypt.
One of their gods, Nefertum, was even depicted as a lion, and the goddess Sekhmet had a lion’s
head.
There was also a lion goddess named Bastet.
In 2001, a group of archaeologists led by Alain Zivie excavated the mummified remains
of a lion inside the tomb of King Tut’s wet nurse, named Maia.
The carcass dates back over 3,000 years and was undisturbed and complete when it was discovered.
Based on the weathered state of the lion’s teeth and bones, Zivie believes it lived to
an old age and was probably kept in captivity.
Before then, no lion remains had ever been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, despite inscriptions
within the burial sites mentioning the breeding and burial of lions.
By 1100 B.C., hunters had nearly exterminated the regional lion population.
Hunting lions was a popular activity, as evidenced by commemorative artwork depicting the Pharaoh
Amenhotep killing more than 100 of them during a single hunt.
Maia’s tomb is located south of Cairo, across the Nile River from the ancient Egyptian capital
of Memphis.
It was discovered by Zivie’s team in 1996.
The ancient Egyptians also mummified some other animals, some of which are now extinct.
1.
42,000-YEAR-OLD CALF
In April of last year, researchers in the Verkhoyansk region of Siberia, Russia announced
the discovery of an ancient foal, estimated to be around 42,000 years old.
The semi-mummified remains still contained liquid blood and urine inside, and in hopes
of someday cloning the species, the bodily fluids were extracted during an autopsy.
The foal was discovered embedded in the permafrost of the massive Batagaika crater by mammoth-tusk
hunters during the summer of 2018.
That day, the temperature had plunged to minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit (-67.8 Celsius).
Brrr!
In an email to CNN, Semyon Grigoriev, director of the Mammoth Museum at Northeastern Federal
University in Yakutsk, stated that the foal appeared to be around two weeks old at the
time of its death, and that it likely drowned in mud, which then became part of the permafrost.
The carcass was unusually well-preserved and without deformations.
Its coat was even intact with visible fur, which is rare for remains that are tens of
thousands of years old.
Even more surprising was the discovery of the liquid blood and urine.
Grigoriev could only think of one other instance in which any kind of liquid was found inside
of a Pleistocene-era animal.
He explained that “As a rule, the blood coagulates or even turns to powder in the
ancient remains of animals of the ice age, even if the carcass is preserved and seems
to be well.”
Although scientists hope to clone the foal, Grigoriev is less than hopeful about the possibility,
since blood cells do not contain nuclei with DNA.
For even a chance at cloning the specimen, they’ll have to find intact, well-preserved
cells in the animal’s muscle tissue or internal organs.
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