Russian scientists said the well-preserved cave lion cub found in the permafrost of Siberia lived 28,000 years ago and may contain traces of breast milk.
A cub named Sparta was found along the Semyuelyakh River in Russia’s Yakutia region in 2018, and a second cave lion cub called Boris was found a year earlier, according to a study published in the scientific journal Quaternary.
Puppies are found 15 meters apart, but they are not only from different births, but also born thousands of years apart – Boris lived about 43,448 years ago, the study said. The chicks, which are one to two months old, were found by mammoth tusk collectors. Two other cave lion cubs named Oyan and Dina have also been discovered in the area in recent years.
Cave lions became extinct thousands of years ago. Valery Plotnikov, one of the study’s authors, said Sparta is so well-preserved that it still contains hair, internal organs and a skeleton.
“The find in itself is unique, there has never been such a discovery in Yakutia.” “Maybe, we hope, some decaying bits of breast milk [continuem intactas]. Because if we had that, we could understand what your mother’s diet was.”
