Still covered in fur and naturally preserved in ice for thousands of years, the “Tumat Puppies,” as they are known, contain hints of a last meal in their stomachs, including meat from a woolly rhinoceros and feathers from a small bird called a wagtail.
Previously thought to be early domesticated dogs or tamed wolves living near humans, the animals’ remains were found near woolly mammoth bones that had been burned and cut by humans, suggesting the canids lived near a site where humans butchered mammoths.
By analyzing genetic data from the gut contents and chemical signatures in the bones, teeth and soft tissue, researchers now think the animals were 2-month-old wolf pups that show no evidence of interacting with people, according to findings published Thursday in the journal Quaternary Research.
Neither of the mummified wolf cubs, believed to be sisters, show signs of having been attacked or injured, indicating that they died suddenly when their underground den collapsed and trapped them inside more than 14,000 years ago. The den collapse may have been triggered by a landslide, according to the study.
The wealth of data from the remains is shedding light on the everyday life of ice age animals, including how they ate, which is similar to the habits of modern wolves.
The multitude of research on these pups and other specimens also illustrates how difficult it is to prove when dogs, widely regarded as the first domesticated animal, became a part of human society.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com
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