Scientists find a 35,000-year-old saber-toothed kitten in the Siberian permafrost [View all]

An ancient cat was found almost perfectly preserved in Siberia's permafrost.

Researchers found the mummy of a 35,000-year-old saber-toothed cub in what is now Russia's northeastern Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, in 2020. A study published this past week in the journal Scientific Reports shows that the cat was just three weeks old when it died, but its cause of death is unknown.

The kitten still had its whiskers and claws attached when it was pulled out of the permafrost, and was covered in a coat of "short, thick, soft, dark brown fur." Its hair was about 20 to 30 millimeters long, according to researchers.

The remarkable preservation provided a unique opportunity for researchers to study the extinct animal.

"For the first time in the history of paleontology, the appearance of an extinct mammal that has no analogues in the modern fauna has been studied," the paper's authors write.

https://www.npr.org/2024/11/16/nx-s1-5193845/35000-year-old-kitten-siberia-frozen

Poor little guy.