18,000 Year Old Puppy Discovered In Siberian Permafrost

Researchers were shocked when they uncovered a male puppy aged approximately two months old buried in the permafrost of Stockholm, Siberia in 2018, two hours away from Belaya Gora, the nearest town.

The puppy was preserved nearly perfect apart from a portion of its spine, which had been exposed and not contained within the frost, causing it to decompose and bare ribs. Everything else, however, was totally frozen and intact.

What’s even more shocking are the results of carbon dating. Apparently, the puppy is a shocking 18,000 years old, despite looking and feeling like an animal who has only recently passed away. It had remained undisturbed in that frozen tundra for all those years until it was uncovered.

Two researchers have brought a rib of the dog, now nicknamed Drogo, back to Sweden, while the rest of the remains stay in Russia. Genome tests have not been able to confirm whether the puppy, which still has its milk teeth, is a wolf or dog. Researchers hypothesize that it is either a very early dog (it would be the earliest ever discovered), very early modern wolf, or wolf from the Ice Age.

The puppy is amazing to behold – its thick fur, eyelashes, and claws all remain intact. Further tests are being conducted to determine Drogo’s species.

Image & Feature Image Source: Centre for Palaeogenetics / Twitter