Arctic Ground Squirrel News

science-and-technology2 years ago•3 min saved

Gold miner discovers perfectly preserved 30,000-year-old squirrel in frozen fur ball.

A gold miner in the Klondike gold fields near Dawson City, Yukon, found a mummified grapefruit-sized ground squirrel in 2018. X-ray scans revealed that the squirrel is 30,000 years old and likely died during hibernation. The Klondike gold fields have been covered in permafrost since the ice age, making the area perfect for preserving creatures that died back then. Discoveries like these are likely to become more common as global temperatures continue to rise due to human emissions of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide and methane, causing the permafrost to thaw and reveal everything from mummified creatures to viruses and anthrax deposits.

via Yahoo News|

#arctic-ground-squirrel #mummified #paleontology

science-and-technology2 years ago•3 min saved

Gold miner discovers perfectly preserved 30,000-year-old squirrel fur ball.

A gold miner in the Klondike gold fields near Dawson City, Yukon, found a mummified grapefruit-sized ground squirrel in 2018. X-ray scans revealed that the squirrel is 30,000 years old and likely died during hibernation. The Klondike gold fields have been covered in permafrost since the ice age, making the area perfect for preserving creatures that died back then. Discoveries like these are likely to become more common as global temperatures continue to rise due to human emissions of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide and methane, causing the permafrost to thaw and reveal everything from mummified creatures to viruses and anthrax deposits.

via Yahoo! Voices|

#arctic-ground-squirrel #mummified #paleontology

science2 years ago•3 min saved

"30,000-Year-Old Mummified Squirrel Discovered in Canadian Permafrost"

A miner in the Yukon goldfields discovered a Fur Sphere, a mummified 30,000-year-old arctic ground squirrel that died while hibernating. The squirrel was curled up in a fetal position, suggesting it died while hibernating. The Fur Sphere will be displayed at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Center. Arctic ground squirrels spend seven to eight months of the year hibernating, during which time they adopt the lowest body temperature recorded in any mammal.

via Defector|

#arctic-ground-squirrel #hibernation #mummified-remains

science2 years ago•2 min saved

Well-Preserved 30,000-Year-Old Ice Age Squirrel Discovered in Canada

The mummified remains of a 30,000-year-old Arctic ground squirrel have been discovered in Canada's Yukon near Hester Creek. The specimen is in remarkable condition, with its tiny claws and skeleton remaining intact. The squirrel was likely hibernating when it died, and its remains were preserved in permafrost. The discovery adds to the collection of frozen animals recovered from the area, providing insight into the unique ecosystem of the Ice Age.

via IFLScience|

#arctic-ground-squirrel #ice-age #permafrost

science2 years ago•3 min saved

Well-preserved 30,000-year-old Ice Age squirrel discovered in Yukon

A well-preserved mummified Arctic ground squirrel from the Ice Age, estimated to be around 30,000 years old, has been unveiled by Yukon paleontologists. The animal was found a few years ago by a placer miner working at Hester Creek near Dawson City, Yukon. The squirrel is being prepared for display at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse, expected to reopen later this spring after a redesign. The mummified squirrel is a rare find, as nests are regularly found preserved in the Klondike permafrost, but a full squirrel is far more unusual.

via CBC.ca|

#arctic-ground-squirrel #ice-age #mummified-animal