X-rays reveal strange brown furry ball to be an Ice Age squirrel

x-ray became a key factor in uncovering the mystery of the mysterious brown fur ball found in the gold mines Klondikecity ​​nearby Dawson City, Yukon. No expert was entirely sure of the nature of this tuft of hair, which also included claws, until someone came up with the idea of ​​passing it through electromagnetic radiation.

According to what he details Grant Zazulagovernment paleontologist Yukonto the chain CBChairball is 30,000-year-old ice age gopher mummy. “It’s not really recognizable until you see those little hands and those claws and you see the little tail and then you see the ears. We could see that he was in great condition and he just curled up like he was sleeping. I’m really impressed that someone recognized him for who he was. From the outside, it looks like a brown spot. It looks a bit like brown stone.”said the expert.

Yukon Furry Ball Mystery Revealed

A group of scientists who analyzed the remains found in the gold mines explained that, most likely, squirrel died in the first year of hibernation. In addition, in order to finally close the conjectures that exist about her thousands of years after her death, it was necessary to take into account several factors about the place where she was found.

Golden fields of Klondike in that Yukon have been covered in permafrost since the beginning Aged Ice, so they prepared the area to make it ideal for the conservation of animals that died during those times. Surprisingly, miners in the area also found perfectly preserved ones thanks to the aforementioned characteristics of a mummified wolf cub and mammoth.

More about mummified squirrel

More precisely, the squirrel was found somewhere in traditional territory from the city Trondek Khvechin. Scientists noted that these are the same terrestrial species from the Arctic, which still live throughout Yukon Today. This animal is more like marmots than squirrels that live in trees and, as a feature, arrange nests underground for hibernation. Many of them have been preserved glacial period.

“I study bones all the time and it’s interesting, they are very good. But when you see a perfectly preserved animal that is 30,000 years old and you can see its face, its skin, its hair and all, it’s so intuitive. This gives him a lot of life. Some people get very, very excited when they find a giant furry mammoth leg or, you know, big tusks or big skulls. But to me, arctic gopher fossils, their nests, and now this mummified squirrel, are really the coolest things we have. They are definitely my favourites.”said zazula.

He Yukon Beringia Interpretation Center He published several photographs of the found mummy and the corresponding x-rays. In addition, he said that this sample will be put on display very soon.

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