The find, revealed by the melting permafrost, was discovered on the Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island in northwestern Russia with its teeth and even its nose intact.
A preliminary analysis of the terrifying-looking remains indicated that the adult bear lived 22,000 to 39,500 years ago.
Harsh Russian temperatures in the northern region an account for the incredibly well preserved specimen.
Scientists have also found at least one preserved carcass of a cave bear cub on the mainland of Yakutia and are obtaining DNA samples to learn more about its origin.
The cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) is a prehistoric species or subspecies that lived in Eurasia in the Middle and Late Pleistocene period and became extinct about 15,000 years ago.
Scientists of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, the premier center for research into woolly mammoths and other prehistoric species, hailed the find as groundbreaking.
In a statement issued by the university, researcher Lena Grigorieva emphasized that ‘this is the first and only find of its kind – a whole bear carcass with soft tissues.’
‘It is completely preserved, with all internal organs in place, including even its nose,’ Grigorieva said.
‘This find is of great importance for the whole world.’
It is now necessary to carry out radiocarbon analysis to determine the precise age of the bear and more details of the finding will be announced ‘soon’.
It is the largest of the Lyakhovsky Islands, which are part of the New Siberian Islands archipelago that lies between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea.
Also found is a well-preserved carcass of a cave bear cub in another area in the mainland region of Yakutia’s mainland.
Credit: www.dailymail.co.uk
