00:00Have you ever tried to freeze meat and then forgot to check it in the freezer for two years?
00:05Now imagine if you forgot a mammoth for 30,000 years.
00:09There are some strange ways that planet Earth preserves the remains of creatures that once lived.
00:15This is called permafrost, a natural freezer.
00:19And it's no wonder that it preserves almost everything from cave lions with full whiskers
00:24to horses with their entire bodies, mane and all.
00:27And believe it or not, what's preserved here isn't just tiny bones buried in the ground.
00:31They're like Ice Age surprise packs, with skin, muscles, teeth, eyes,
00:37and sometimes even the smell of the ancient animal still intact.
00:40In this video, you'll discover the most fascinating and unusual prehistoric animals
00:45that have been found preserved in ice.
00:47But before we start, if you're new to our channel,
00:50don't forget to subscribe so you'll always be updated with videos like this.
01:02We're opening our frozen list with style.
01:04We have a prehistoric cat that hasn't come out of the freezer in 37,000 years.
01:10This is a Siberian saber-toothed feline cub, mummified and vacuum-sealed by the planet itself,
01:15and only discovered in 2020 on the banks of the frozen Badia-Rica River in Yakutia, Siberia.
01:22A perfect place for anyone wanting to hide from the apocalypse and archaeologists for thousands of years.
01:28But wait, this isn't Milo Milodon, the famous one in the museum.
01:33This belongs to Team Home Homoetherium, a cousin that's not as fierce but just as strong.
01:38This creature died at the age of three weeks and was found with its skin, fur, claws, muscles, and even
01:44its whiskers intact.
01:45What's even more remarkable is that even after all this time and the changes in the continent,
01:50the whiskers really remained.
01:51And unlike the dry fossils you see in science books, this one is almost ready for a photo shoot.
01:58The scientists were amazed at the level of preservation.
02:01And in fact, it's really not every day that you see an extinct feline cub with a complete face,
02:06and not just the body buried in the cave.
02:13Cave Lion
02:17In 2017, scientists discovered what seemed to be the freshest cub of prehistory.
02:23A cave lion so well preserved that it looked like it was ready to roar.
02:28Where was it found?
02:29Of course, in Siberia, one of the places on Earth that almost has a quick freeze function.
02:34The cub named Sparta had been lying in the permafrost for about 28,000 years,
02:39as if it had just been sleeping for a very long time.
02:41And when we say it was preserved, that's not an exaggeration.
02:44The skin, fur, and paws are all intact.
02:47The nose, ears, claws, and even some internal organs.
02:51It's so complete that you could use it as an advertisement for an anti-aging product.
02:56The most amazing thing is, it's not the only one in Sparta.
02:59Next to it is a tub named Boris, which was discovered in 2018.
03:04However, according to studies, they are not siblings, and they did not live at the same time.
03:09Boris is 43,000 years old, while Sparta is 28,000 years old.
03:15Two lion cubs frozen for 15,000 years.
03:17They both seem like toys for science.
03:20Discoveries like these are gold for science,
03:22because the cave lion is an extinct species that is rarely found intact,
03:26and in such detail, now scientists have access to everything.
03:31DNA, tissue, anatomy, and even possible clues about how these felines live.
03:40Prehistoric Snow Horse
03:44Now, take a look at this.
03:46A horse from the Ice Age, completely preserved with its skin, hooves, and dignity,
03:52kept in ice for 40,000 years.
03:54This specimen is so well preserved that if someone put a cell in it,
03:58it could potentially could practically go right back to the Pliocene.
04:02This prehistoric horse from the extinct species Aeolinensis was discovered in 2018
04:08at the famous Batagaika Crater in Siberia,
04:11also known as the gateway to all the frozen creatures in the story.
04:14Batagaika Crater, a crater in Siberia,
04:16is also called the gateway to all the frozen creatures in the story,
04:19which was about one to two weeks old when it died,
04:22probably drowned in the freezing snow and the ice preserved it,
04:26turning it into a time capsule.
04:28This is the ancestor of modern Siberian horses,
04:30adapted to the cold, small, sturdy,
04:33and with a mane worthy of a hair influencer.
04:36When the body was found, the scientists could hardly believe it.
04:40The internal organs were intact and there was liquid blood,
04:44perfectly preserved muscles,
04:45and there were no signs of decay at all.
04:47And yes, you heard that right.
04:49Liquid blood after 40,000 years.
04:52Now you understand why the scientific community in the lab
04:55almost had a mini heart attack.
05:00Bully mammoth
05:05The bully mammoth is almost like a hairy, turbocharged elephant
05:09with tusks as big as a bicycle and a built-in winter coat.
05:12It stands about 4 meters tall and weighs up to 6 tons,
05:17and it's definitely not the kind of animal you'd want to see running toward you.
05:21But what really earned it a spot on this list isn't just its size,
05:26but the history of the preserved specimens that are truly remarkable.
05:30Another one of the most well-known cases is that of a young female mammoth named Yucca,
05:35which was discovered in 2010 in Siberia.
05:38Complete skin muscles, spinal cord, brain, fur, and even traces of liquid blood.
05:44The animal, which died more than 28,000 years ago,
05:47actually looked like it was still ready to be cooked.
05:49In some cases, scientists even found the contents of the stomach,
05:54showing what the animal ate before it died.
05:57Some carcasses were so well-preserved that even trunk wrinkles were clearly visible.
06:01These discoveries truly gave scientists an extraordinary glimpse into the life,
06:06death, and decomposition of the mammoth.
06:09All of this is due to simple, natural freezing,
06:13like an industrial freezer that perfectly embalmed the animal.
06:25This armored tank from the Ice Age is like a modern rhinoceros,
06:29but hairier, with a bigger horn,
06:31and a body that looks like it's from the Stone Age.
06:35But the beauty of this is not just its external appearance,
06:38but also the state of preservation.
06:40In 2020, in the Rio of Yakutia in Iberia,
06:44scientists discovered a baby woolly rhinoceros that was incredibly well-preserved.
06:49You can clearly see the skin, baby teeth, horn, intestines,
06:53and even the fur on its hind legs.
06:55Everything is still intact,
06:57and all of this is after 34,000 years in extreme cold.
07:01It died young and was probably drowned and immediately frozen,
07:04resulting in a time capsule complete with everything,
07:07even its waste.
07:09It's truly a wealth of information for those who want to know about the metabolism,
07:13growth, and diet of this hairy giant.
07:20Okay, Bill?
07:24Next up is the Cave Bear.
07:26In this list, he's like the building manager of the Ice Age.
07:30Big, fierce-looking,
07:31and with a face that looks like he wouldn't accept visitors without warning.
07:35The Cave Bear, a relative of the powerful brown bear,
07:38dominated the caves of Europe and Asia until it disappeared about 20,000 years ago.
07:43But like every famous prehistoric animal,
07:46it seems like it still wants to come back from the ice.
07:49In 2020, a group of ranger herders on Lyakowsky Island, Siberia,
07:54discovered a Cave Bear completely frozen,
07:57with its skin, teeth, claws, nose, and even its entire nose and forehead,
08:02all preserved by the ice.
08:04This animal was so well-preserved that, honestly,
08:07it looked ready to be a character in the final scene of an Ice Age movie.
08:11And the most amazing thing is,
08:13it's not a cub, it's not an adult bear that was found fully formed.
08:16This is the first cave bear found naturally preserved,
08:19and not just the skeleton.
08:21The scientists were amazed and immediately began their study.
08:24The internal organs, brain,
08:26even the contents of the stomach,
08:28and even the bear's feces are being closely examined.
08:31Because in science, even what others don't want to see is considered gold.
08:38Prehistoric wolf
08:43If there's one animal that nature wanted to preserve in ice while it was still young,
08:47it's the prehistoric wolf pup.
08:50And this discovery truly warms the hearts and minds of paleontologists.
08:54In 2016, during a gold mining excavation in Yukon, Canada,
08:58scientists discovered the almost complete body of a prehistoric wolf pup,
09:03which they named Zor.
09:04And it's not just a simple fossil.
09:07The body is intact,
09:08as if it had just taken a nap and was frozen in the middle of its sleep.
09:12The fur is intact.
09:14Teeth, claws, whiskers, muscles, internal organs,
09:17all preserved with a level of detail that's almost unbelievable.
09:22It is believed that Zor died about 57,000 years ago at just a few weeks old.
09:27And most amazingly, her body was preserved in an almost perfect state.
09:32And if you're wondering why,
09:34it's because she was probably buried quickly after a collapse inside her den.
09:38And the ice did the rest of the work.
09:40The result is the best preserved wolf cub ever found in the world.
09:44Even though her life was short,
09:46Zor left a significant scientific legacy.
09:48And let's admit it,
09:50it's hard to beat a 57,000-year-old wolf cub that's still ready to play and bite its owner's
09:56hand.
09:58Frozen Puppy Dogger
10:04In 2018, scientists in Canada discovered another completely frozen canine puppy
10:09that is estimated to be 18,000 years old.
10:12And when we say complete, the nose, teeth, paws, whiskers,
10:17everything was intact as if it was just placed in the Earth's natural freezer after a short nap.
10:22The question here is, is this a wolf or the first domesticated dog in history?
10:27Its DNA is so ancient and unique that they named it Dogger.
10:32In the local language, Inangate, it means friend
10:34and is used when you don't really know what the creature is.
10:37This puppy died young, around two months old, and was preserved in perfect condition.
10:42Quickly, in dry conditions, and with no chance to decompose.
10:46What's even more remarkable is that the baby teeth are still intact.
10:49And because of this, scientists were able to closely analyze its diet,
10:53growth, and the bacteria that once lived in its body.
10:56Despite initial doubts, more recent studies show that Dogger is most likely an ancestral wolf,
11:01but it has unique DNA.
11:03That is near the lineage that would later produce modern dogs.
11:07And that means this puppy could be in the middle of the transition from wolf to dog
11:11Becoming Man's Friend.
11:20To finish this list of frozen animals, here is the Tepe Bison,
11:25a true symbol of strength and ancestor of the modern bison.
11:28This animal is like an armored tank from the Pliocene prairies,
11:32a direct and sturdy ancestor of modern bison,
11:35hairier, stronger, and with an aura that says,
11:39I'm ready to fight a mammoth if I have to.
11:41Like an Ice Age veteran, it also decided to return from the ice.
11:46In 2011 in Siberia, scientists found a bison that looked like it had just recently died.
11:51But there was a small, unusual detail.
11:54It had been preserved for about 9,000 years,
11:57along with its skin, horns, muscles, heart, and even the internal organs.
12:02The body was so complete that researchers were able to examine the tissue,
12:07nutrition, diseases, and aging of the animal,
12:10almost like a full post-mortem checkup.
12:12And for those who love details, even the contents inside were preserved.
12:16Because, of course, none of these animals escaped scientific curiosity
12:20about what they ate before they became frozen fossils.
12:27Now, if after seeing the wolves, cubs, horse, lion, mammoth, rhinoceros, and bison
12:33carefully preserved in ice, you still think that ice is only for God,
12:38then you should reconsider your concept.
12:40And the Earth really preserved these animals for thousands of years.
12:44And now, as they slowly melt and return to the surface, the question remains.
12:50Are we ready to face the past that is knocking on our door?
12:54And if you're intrigued by the animals emerging from the ice,
12:56wait for something even more surprising.
12:59Because there are some of them that people don't just want to study,
13:02but actually bring back to life.
13:04And yes, we're talking about cloning, gene editing,
13:06and multi-million dollar projects that are trying to bring extinct animals back to life.
13:11So stay tuned for our next video and subscribe to our channel
13:15for knowledge, mysteries, and other amazing things.
