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Scientists have said that an astonishingly well-preserved cave lion cub found in Siberia's permafrost lived 28,000 years ago and may even still have traces of its mother's milk in it.
Details
- The female cub, named Sparta, was found at the Semyuelyakh River in Russia's Yakutia region in 2018 and a second lion cub called Boris was found the year before, according to a study published in Quaternary.
- The cubs were found 15 metres apart but are not only from different litters but were also born thousands of years apart.
- Boris, a male cub, lived around 43,448 years ago.
- The two cubs aged 1-2 months were found by mammoth tusk collectors.
- Two other lion cubs named Uyan and Dina have also been found in the region in recent years.
Permafrost
- It is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight.
- These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles.
- Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. Almost a quarter of the land area in the Northern Hemisphere has permafrost underneath.
- Although the ground is frozen, permafrost regions are not always covered in snow.
Source: PIB