Ancient Foal Frozen in Time: Secrets of a 40,000-Year-Old Extinct Horse Uncovered
“This is the first find in the world of a pre-historic horse of such a young age and with such an amazing level of preservation,” Grigoryev said.
The photos of the perfectly-preserved horse are almost unbelievable. It was found with its tail, mane, and hooves still attached and its dark brown coat seems to be in excellent condition. Also, all of the horse’s internal organs are still inside the animal after tens of thousands of years.
Michil Yakoklev/North-Eastern Federal UniversityLeft: nose of the horse, Right: hooves of the horse.
According to Science Alert, the baby horse is just 38 inches tall and is genetically distinct from those now living in the region. This horse was an Equus lenesis, also known as the Lena horse, which roamed the area during the late Pleistocene, but is now extinct.
Grigoryev also told the Siberian Times that this find has many other potential benefits for researchers outside of just the discovery of the horse.
“The extra value of the unique find is that we obtained samples of soil layers where it was preserved, which means we will be able to restore a picture of the foal’s environment,” Grigoryev said.
The region where this ancient horse was found, known as the Batagai depression, is infamously treacherous and is also known as the “Mouth of Hell,” according to the Siberian Times. The tadpole-shaped crater is one kilometer long and 800 meters wide.
The Siberian TimesThe Batagai depression in Verkhoyansky district of Yakutia.
The locals in the remote region also refer to the huge crater as the “gateway to the underworld” and are heartily superstitious about it. The depression was originally created by the Soviets when they cleared the forest in the area and local scientists now say that climate change is making it larger.
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