From creatures of the ice age, to actual humans being found in ice, join me as I reveal to
you 10 animals frozen in ice.
10.
Invertebrates In Antarctica Let's start off this list with no a legendary
animal found somewhere in the world.
But rather, a look at a surprising find in one of the most desolate places on Earth today:
Antarctica.
The reason Antarctica is one of the most desolate places on Earth is because of its freezing
cold temperature.
One that is so cold that humans don't live there permanently, and only a few research
stations exist on the ENTIRE continent.
Sure, there is life there, but usually it's overtly seen like with Penguins.
But then, scientists discovered quite shockingly that there is a plentiful race of creatures
living within the snowy mounds of the continent.
Mainly, invertebrates.
Or, creatures without a spine.
And not just or two of these creatures, they actually found about 67 different kinds of
invertebrates living on the frozen tundra of Antarctica.
Yes, they're small, tiny even, but they live there, and it's both fascinating and kind
of weird how it all works out.
If you're curious about what exactly has been found there, that would be the Nematode Worms,
Mites, the Rotifer, the Tardigrade, and the Springtail.
All different, all unique, all live in Antarctica, but there is a catch to this find that needs
to be said...
You see, because of the temperature of the land, they aren't exactly "living" all the
time.
If the temperature goes above freezing point, they'll start to move around and go about
their days.
Yet, when it drops, which is often, they'll hibernate for lack of a better term.
They "moving" periods sometimes only last an hour, if that!
Whereas their "hibernation" can sometimes last up to months!
Now sure, they're not technically "frozen" in ice, but technically they are "frozen"
in the natural sense, and they're found within the snows and ice caps of Antarctica itself.
So yeah, it really counts.
Plus, this opens up a whole new line of thinking in regards to what lives on the continent.
Could there be even more lifeforms buried within the other snow and ice areas of the
continent?
What will it be if so?
The research continues.
9.
Wholly Rhinoceros The ice was a very important period of the
world's history, and due to its extremely cold temperatures, there were a lot of animals
eventually frozen in ice and being period under snow and other natural features.
In the Siberian riverbank in Yakutia, a frozen river was the home of a Woolly Rhinoceros,
a creature that once existed over 10,000 years ago.
And for obvious reasons isn't around today.
Ironically enough, this creature was found by a hunter named Sasha, and to honor the
discovery that she made, they named the Wholly Rhinoceros after her.
Very touching.
On the downer side of things though, research discovered that Sasha (the rhino, not the
hunter) was only 3-4 years old when she died, and then got frozen in the river.
Which sadly makes it a baby Woolly Rhinoceros that was found frozen for many thousands of
years.
However, this is actually an incredibly rare find.
You see, though scientists have known for years that the Woolly Rhinoceros once existed,
they could never find a full baby one to do research on.
They've found partial remains in the past, but never a complete specimen.
So, that makes Sasha the Wholly Rhinoceros the only complete baby Woolly Rhinoceros to
have been found in the modern age.
Making this find incredibly important to research and beyond.
Sasha was later donated to the Yakutian Academy of Sciences in Russia.
Just to be clear because I'm sure you're thinking of it, the Woolly Rhinoceros is NOT a relative
of the Woolly Mammoth.
They lived in similar areas and times, but they're not overtly connected.
The name relates to both because of the massive fur coats that they had in order to survive
the cold.
8.
Tumat Dog You might think that all the animals found
in the ice from long ago are massive creatures that are almost fantastical in nature.
But that's not always the case.
For example, one creature found in ice near Russia was a 12,000 year old dog.
Two brothers named Yuri and Igor Gorokhov were out by the Syallakh River in Siberia
on the hunt for Woolly Mammoth tusks.
Which given what we know about frozen creatures in Russia and Siberia is a safe money-making
practice.
Anyway, as they were doing their search they soon came upon a dog frozen in the river banks.
While it didn't exactly look like a dog when found, that was do to it being in the ground
for 12,400 years.
The scientists who are studying this canine have named it the Tumat Dog, and they've been
studying it for years.
In 2015, a more in-depth study on the Tumat dog was allowed, and it revealed that its
organs were perfectly intact.
Which often happens when certain creatures are frozen perfectly, not unlike cryogenics
Because of this, the Tumat dog is in fact the most preserved ancient dog to have ever
been found.
There's still a lot we can learn from it, including how dogs used to live 12,000 years
ago.
Which may help paint more of a picture of the ice age and beyond.
Before we continue, why don't you chill out for a sec and like the video?
As well as subscribe to the channel so that you can see our weekly content!
7.
The Tale Of Two Foxes If not clear already, ice is dangerous, and
even in modern times it's easy to find yourself falling into ice cold waters and freezing
to death if you don't get out quickly enough.
You'd think I'd just be talking about humans, but foxes (among other animals) are prone
to this too.
For example, a fox fell into a river in Germany, drowned, and was then frozen in place for
all to see.
Eventually, a hunter came along and saw the fox, and decided in 2017 to actually dig it
out of the river, still in ice mind you, and then put it on display at his hotel.
No, for real, there are pictures and everything.
There are so many things wrong with that sentence, mainly that he would use a frozen animal as
a display for his hotel.
Granted, it definitely is a "unique" item to have on display, but really?
Come on man...
An interesting thing that the hunter noted though is that the fox wasn't the only animal
caught in the river.
According to him, he's seen deer and boar also trapped in ice there.
Again showing the dangers of the ice.
Another man, this time in Sweden was ice skating on a lake one time and after dancing around
on the ice he too came upon a fox that was frozen in the lake.
The difference here though was that the fox honestly looked like it was barely underneath
the water when it froze.
Even having an expression of sadness, kind of like it knew it was dying.
It's believed that the fox was walking across the ice, hit a thin patch, and the fell in.
the temperature was likely so cold that the top froze over it before it could get out.
It's sad, but it happens more than you would think.
6.
Extinct Lion Cubs Let's head back to the Ice Age, shall we?
This time for some cats. in 2015, a pair of extinct cave lion cubs was found under a frozen
sheet of ice in the region of Yakutia in Russia.
And not unlike the Woolly Rhinoceros that we noted earlier on the list, these cubs were
10,000 years old as well.
They were called Dina and Uyan, and they too were very young when they died via being trapped
in the ice.
There is a twist on this though in that their bodies weren't just preserved by the ice,
but by the cave they were in when they died.
Scientists think that they were in a cave den when a landslide occurred and trapped
them there.
Which is something that can happen even in the modern day.
Because of the seal via the landslide, no air was let in or air.
And without oxidation, the body is much slower to wither, and the ice came later and kept
them even more preserved.
So thus, when they were found, they were almost perfectly intact.
A rare thing.
Species wise, these cave lion cubs were part of the Panthera spelaea (or European Cave
lion) pack.
These two are the only complete ones ever found.
As their fur and organs were all intact, allowing for much more research into what these cave
lions were like.
This of course also raises the potential of finding other extinct animals like this in
caves that have been buried in snow.
5.
Petrified Mammals And now...back to Antarctica!
But this time for an ancient animal, in this case a mammal, that we don't know much about.
In 2009, the fossilized remains of a mammal was discovered.
It was about the size of a cat, yet was one that laid eggs.
Further study stated that this was an ancient mammal that lived back around 250 million
years ago.
But just as interesting, this species is thought to have moved to Antarctica after leaving
Africa when an extinction-level event hit the planet.
The animal believed that Antarctica was the "cooler" place to go temperature wise, and
thus left South Africa for it.
Nowadays, it'd be the opposite, but the world wasn't the same back then.
Many feel that this find further proves that Antarctica was once a tropical paradise before
a "cold snap" occurred to turn it into the tundra we have now.
4.
Bison Northern Siberia is where we're off too next!
Where a very interesting bison was found.
Mainly, an ancestor to the bison we see living around here today.
This creature is known as a Bison priscus, and it was found by a tribe of people in Siberia’s
Yana-Indigirka Lowland.
Not unlike the first two entries, the freezing climate of the land was the reason this bison
was allowed to remain in mostly one piece.
And after 10,000 years of being in the ice, its brain and internal organs were all preserved,
which is an incredible feat that made many very happy.
One of the scientists who studied the remains of this bison noted that because of how permafrost
works, bodies likes this bison are usually "eaten or destroyed".
Which makes this find, as well as the others, all the more important.
3.
Elk Elk are something that exist in our world
today, and are even hunted for sport (under guidance and laws of course).
But, because of their weight, they can find themselves sinking into ice.
One such Elk was found in 2014 near Bodo, Norway.
Many believe that the elk was trying to cross the lake when the ice gave way.
The elk was eventually found in Kosmo Lakr in Valnesfjord by Inger Sjøberg, who was
ice skating when he found the creature Here's the catch though, the elk didn't sink
all the way down.
Part of its body and one of its antlers sticks out through the ice.
Perhaps it couldn't stay down, or it floated to the top before the ice could re-seal itself
like it did for the foxes.
Creepily enough, after Inger found the elk, news about it spread around, and now kids
come to this sight to see the frozen elk.
Which is creepy and those kids should find something better to do with their time.
Just saying.
2.
Fish When it comes to creature that are "used"
to the water and are likely to be frozen because they reside in it often, fish would be on
the top of that list, right?
But that's not the case.
In fact, because of their time in the water, they can tell when it gets warmer, and when
it gets colder, and they leave the area when the temperatures drop just so they don't get
frozen solid.
Call it a byproduct of adaptation and evolution.
But...that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
For example, a bunch of carp and other fish were found frozen one time in 2015 in Lake
Andes National Wildlife Refuge.
The fish had apparently died, and then were frozen in the ice.
And one time in Norway, a lake dropped in temperature so fast that the fish couldn't
escape in time, and thus, they all died, frozen into the water in such a way that it looks
fake, but it's not.
It's just nature showing that it knows how to make fish...chill out.
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.
So as you can see, even the creatures that live in water all the time aren't immune to
being frozen in it.
1.
Otzi The Iceman I teased it in the opener, and now here it
is, a case of a person getting frozen in ice.
In 1991, two German tourists were going along the mountain pass on Hauslabjoch and Tisenjoch
when they came across a frozen body.
Given the height they were at, and the placement of the body, the two believed it was the body
of a hiker who had gotten trapped in the snow.
Which is very plausible as hiking accidents like this do happen somewhat often.
But that was not the case as they examined it further.
For the body was old, and more importantly, it was mummified.
They had accidentally found Europe's oldest and naturally found mummy.
Meaning that it wasn't made by human hands.
It was later named Otzi because of the mountain in the Alps from which he was found.
Naturally, because of the find itself, Otzi is highly coveted by the scientific community.
They're looking over the mummy with a fine tooth comb every chance they can get to learn
even more about the person and about what Otzi can tell us about those ancient times.
Thanks for watching everyone!
What did you think of these animals being frozen in the ice?
Did any of them surprise you with their appearance?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!