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Stunning pictures of the world’s only uniquely preserved cave lion cubs as new secrets revealed
By Valeria Sukhova
18 September 2019
‘Male siblings born 44,000 years ago' found ten metres apart in Yakutia but the truth is rather different - amid hopes to bring species back to life.
The pair of cubs were believed to be siblings both born 44,000 years ago.
In fact one of the famous extinct cave lions named Spartak has been found to be female not male, and will need to be rechristened as Sparta.
And she was born 18,000 years after the cub found next to her named Boris, it now emerges.
Complete restoration works on the baby cave lions, preserved superbly in the Siberian permafrost, reveals a sensational level of pelt and hair preservation.
Some 26000 years ago Sparta’s mother either left her in the cave and went hunting, or was killed herself, leaving the tiny cub without food.
‘She starved to death. We wondered why she looked so skinny when she was found, and then tomography of her internal organs showed there was no fat,’ said scientist Dr Albert Protopopov, an expert in frozen remains from the woolly mammoth era.
Details & Amazing photographs:
https://siberiantimes.com/science/c...erved-cave-lion-cubs-as-new-secrets-revealed/
Sparta/Spartak:
Boris:
By Valeria Sukhova
18 September 2019
‘Male siblings born 44,000 years ago' found ten metres apart in Yakutia but the truth is rather different - amid hopes to bring species back to life.
The pair of cubs were believed to be siblings both born 44,000 years ago.
In fact one of the famous extinct cave lions named Spartak has been found to be female not male, and will need to be rechristened as Sparta.
And she was born 18,000 years after the cub found next to her named Boris, it now emerges.
Complete restoration works on the baby cave lions, preserved superbly in the Siberian permafrost, reveals a sensational level of pelt and hair preservation.
Some 26000 years ago Sparta’s mother either left her in the cave and went hunting, or was killed herself, leaving the tiny cub without food.
‘She starved to death. We wondered why she looked so skinny when she was found, and then tomography of her internal organs showed there was no fat,’ said scientist Dr Albert Protopopov, an expert in frozen remains from the woolly mammoth era.
Details & Amazing photographs:
https://siberiantimes.com/science/c...erved-cave-lion-cubs-as-new-secrets-revealed/
Sparta/Spartak:
Boris:
