Siberia: 'Best-preserved' woolly rhino from Ice Age recovered from permafrost

Scientists in Russia have discovered a well-preserved dead body of now-extinct woolly rhinoceros that roamed the planet Earth during the Ice Age. According to the Associated Press, the carcass of the Ice Age-era animal was found in August this year in the Yakutia Republic of Russia's Siberia region. The well-preserved carcass was recovered from a frozen ground, which melted and revealed the remains of the animal. 

Read: Spinosaurus Fossil Tail Discovered; Dinosaurs Were Not Just Land Dwellers But Swimmers Too

'Was 3-4 years old when it died'

According to the report, several internal organs of the extinct rhino are still intact and the horn of the animal was found next to its body. The carcass will be sent to a lab for further study after the roads in the region become operable for vehicles. As per Valery Plotnikov, a paleontologist with the regional branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the woolly rhino may have been 3 to 4 years old when it died. The paleontologist linked the animal's death to drowning. 

Read: UK: Mother-daughter Confuse WWII Grenade For Fossil On Beach, It Explodes In Kitchen

Scientists have said that the remains of the rhino are likely 20,000 to 50,000 years old, but the exact dating will only be possible after the carcass is studied at a laboratory. In 2014, another carcass of a woolly rhino was recovered not far away from the current discovery. Scientists had dated the rhino to be 34,000 years old. Researchers have said that the carcass found on the bank of the Tirekhtyakh river in August is one of the best specimens of an Ice Age-era animal found to date.

Read: 200-million-year-old Jurassic-era ‘Lazarus’ Expect To Fetch £50,000 At Auction

Russia's Siberia region has become one of the biggest hubs of discovery in the past few years since the frozen grounds have started to melt. From cave lion cubs to mammoths to Ice Age foals, several discoveries have been made in the region lately, including the two woolly rhinos in 2014 and 2020. 

Read: Jurassic World's T-Rex Fossil Auctioned For Record $31.8 Million In New York 

(Image Credit: AP)