A Wolf Pup Mummy from the Yukon

[CMD]

C. 57,000 years old....

[SDhunter]

Interesting

[Lindenmeier-Man]

TY Doc. I love documentaries like this ! Look at the teeth/fangs on that 8 week old !

[Cecilia]

Yes. Can always count on you to supply us researchers with good places to go. I remember a few years back a when-the-permafrost-melts-in-Siberia find. It was similar, but I don’t think the scientists knew (at least back then) whether was wolf or early dog.

[sailorjoe]

Very interesting Charlie. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Since the diet of the puppy at that time was heavy with fish and it was found near Dawson which sits on the banks of the Yukon River then we can infer that it and its mother were feeding on spawned out salmon. Tributary streams of the Yukon are locations where 3 species of Pacific salmon spawn. (King or chinook, Chum, and Silver). Because those spawning areas are so very far inland and it takes so long for them to get there then it is likely that this pup died in late summer or early fall. The pup or its mom did not catch the fish when it was alive, they ate it shortly after it died after they drifted into the shallows or upon shore. That is still a major seasonal source of nutrition for animals that are lucky enough to live near a spawning stream. Bears, wolves, foxes and birds (mostly gulls, eagles, etc. that eat carrion) make there annual visits to these streams and patrol their banks. 57,000 years ago is a long time ago and the critters then probably would not have had to share their fish with man. Or would they?

[CMD]

I like your deductive reasoning, Joe. Thanks for those observations. Humans, I don’t know. I’ve learned not to be surprised.

[Sergeir]

Grant Zuzula of the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre does weekly "zoom casts" called Beringia Centre Science Thursdays #BCST. They are great - entertaining an informative. You can watch them here: https://www.facebook.com/yukonberingia/videos/ or on Amazon Prime Video with the "Facebook Watch" app.