New findings now confirm that these so-called “puppies” were actually wolf cubs.
Where the wolf cubs were found The cubs were found about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the village of Tumat in Siberia.
Some believed the cubs might have been early dogs, living among humans or scavenging near human settlements.
The data pointed not to early dogs, but to wolves – wolves that had lived wild and free during the Pleistocene.
Sister wolf cubs lost in a collapse The cubs showed no signs of injury or attack.
Early domesticated dogs were thought to have been two small cubs that perished over 14,000 years ago. These so-called “puppies” were actually wolf cubs, according to recent research. Curled up in their den for their last nap, they became scientific time capsules.
The preservation of their frozen remains, found in northern Siberia, allowed scientists to examine their diet, lifestyle, and demise.
It was the location of the wolf cubs.
The cubs were discovered in Siberia, roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the village of Tumat. At the present-day Syalakh site, one was discovered in 2011 and the other in 2015.
Both were interred in layers of frozen soil, preserved by permafrost, next to bones of mammoths that had been burned and butchered.
Early speculation was prompted by this peculiar combination of frozen remains and human activity. According to some, the cubs may have been the first dogs, scavenging close to human settlements or coexisting with people.
The theory was strengthened by the fact that they had black fur, a characteristic that was previously believed to be exclusive to domesticated dogs.
new information from the University of York.
However, recent research from York University presents a different picture. Researchers looked at chemical signals in the cubs’ bones, teeth, and tissue as well as genetic material from their stomachs.
The evidence suggested wolves, who had roamed freely and wild during the Pleistocene, rather than early dogs.
The cubs were still nursing at the age of two months. However, they also consumed solid food, such as the meat of a wooly rhinoceros and, in one instance, a wagtail, a small bird.
The undigested rhino skin found in the stomach of one cub indicates how recently they had eaten and how suddenly their lives had ended.
“It was amazing to discover two sisters from this time period so well preserved, but even more amazing that we can now tell so much about their story, right down to the last meal they ate,” said Anne Kathrine Runge of the Department of Archaeology at the University of York.
Sister wolf cubs perished in a collapse.
No signs of attack or injury were displayed by the cubs. Scientists think that a landslide or collapse trapped them while they were sleeping in their den, possibly after feeding.
Runge said, “Although many will be disappointed that these animals are most likely wolves and not early domesticated dogs, they have helped us get closer to understanding the environment at the time, how these animals lived, and how remarkably similar wolves from more than 14,000 years ago are to modern day wolves.”.
Given that wolf cubs from a population unrelated to domestic dogs have black fur, she continued, “it also means that the mystery of how dogs evolved into the domestic pet we know today deepens, as one of our clues – the black fur color – may have been a red herring.”.
Life in a fertile land.
There were fossilized remnants of plants like prairie grasses, willow twigs, and Dryas shrub leaves inside the wolf cubs’ stomachs. This implies that they were surrounded by a diverse and abundant ecosystem that was teeming with animals and plants that could be eaten.
There was no indication that the cubs had consumed mammoth meat, even though they were close to mammoth bones. Rather, there is unmistakable proof that wooly rhinoceroses are a part of their diet.
Scientists believe the prey was probably a young calf dropped by the pack and fed to the cubs, even though a mature rhino would be much too big for a cub or even a single adult wolf to bring down.
Larger prey, larger wolves?
It has been questioned whether wolves would hunt wooly rhinos, even young ones. Would the gray wolves of today have been smaller and weaker than these ancient wolves?
Doctor. Nathan Wales, who works in the Archaeology Department at the University of York, provided more details.
“Skeleton remains from palaeontological sites have shown us that grey wolves have existed as a species for hundreds of thousands of years, and researchers have tested some of those remains with DNA to understand how the population changed over time,” he said.
“The soft tissues preserved in the Tumat cubs provide another, fascinating way of investigating the wolf evolutionary line,” he continued.
He stated, “We have an insight into their breeding behaviors too, and we can see that their diets were varied, consisting of both animal meat and plant life, much like that of modern wolves.”. As sisters, the two were probably raised in a den and received care from their pack, which are typical practices for wolves breeding and rearing young today. “.”.
Modern wolves frequently have litters larger than two, and the Tumat cubs might have had siblings who were spared the same fate as the unfortunate sisters. Alternatively, there might be more litter concealed in the surrounding permafrost.
Dr. Wales additionally remarked on the discovery of wooly rhinoceros remains in the stomachs of the cubs.
Since wolves still prefer to hunt easy prey while some of the pack is raising cubs, the fact that they pursued an animal as big as a wooly rhinoceros, even a baby one, indicates that these wolves may have been larger than the wolves of today, but they were still consistent in many respects. “.”.
There is still the dog puzzle.
There is more to this study than just illuminating two ancient cubs. Furthermore, it raises the question of where and when dogs diverged from their wolf ancestors.
The Tumat “puppies” are therefore an essential component of the puzzle, even though they do not hold the secret to the origin of domestic dogs. The first real dog is still out there, either buried in the ice or concealed in prehistoric sediments.
The journal Quaternary Research released the complete study.
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