Scientists Uncovered Something Incredible Last Month. Now We Finally Get To See The Pictures.

Last month, we learned that scientists had found something incredible buried in the remote permafrost of Siberia’s Sakha Republic. It turned out to be a pair of cave lion cubs, almost perfectly preserved after an estimated 12,000 years in the earth.

Despite the fanfare, researchers, not wanting to reveal too much, released only a single dark and blurry photo of the specimen. But now, we finally get to see these incredible remains up close — and it’s more amazing than we ever imagined.

The Eurasian cave lion was one of the largest predators to ever walk the earth. Some specimens have even been measured at over four feet tall.

While plenty of bones had been uncovered, a preserved specimen had never been found… until last month, when scientists managed to dig not one, but two out of the permafrost in Siberia’s Sakha Republic. However, they only released one photo of their discovery, prompting some to accuse them of fakery.

But now they’ve released a full set of pictures from their discovery, and they’re pretty amazing.

Scientists have dubbed the twin cubs Uyan and Dina, for the Uyandina River, which flows near the site where they were found.

The permafrost in which the cubs were found is made up of layers of perennially frozen soil, and it’s perfect for the preservation of prehistoric specimens. Creatures trapped in the substance are often discovered with their hair and flesh still largely intact.

But even by those standards, these cub specimens are amazing. Everything from their soft tissue to their whiskers is still intact.

The cubs were found in a hole that appeared to have been covered and sealed by a landslide. They estimate that the pair was just a week or two old when they perished.

Though they could once be found roaming from the eastern reaches of Russia to what is now the United Kingdom, cave lions went extinct about 10,000 years ago.

The reason for their disappearance has never been uncovered, but these specimens could provide valuable information. Scientists can use the contents of their stomach and the preserved remains of parasites in their body to learn a lot about their environment.

With a little luck, we’ll be able to place another piece in the puzzle that is our planet’s history.

These specimens provide rare glimpse into the history of our planet. I feel really lucky to be able to see them, and I can’t wait to find out what they uncover next!

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