2023-07-03 18:49:00
It is an extraordinary prehistoric time capsule that Russian researchers have brought to light: in the heart of Siberia, in the Republic of Khakassia, they unearthed a large number of bones, those of animals having lived during the Pleistocene (2.58 million years to 11,700 years ago).
They also unearthed the largest hyena den ever discovered in Asia, around 42,000 years old, they say in a communiqué June 26, 2023. A collection that gives an unprecedented insight into the biodiversity of the region during this distant period.
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400 kg of 42,000 year old bones
Five years ago, the inhabitants of the region stumbled upon the cavity, since called the “Frost Grotto”. But it will be necessary to wait until June 2022 for this one, located in an isolated region, to be visited by specialists from the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Federal University of the Urals (Yekaterinburg, Eastern Siberia), from the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Speleological Club of Abakan, capital of Khakassia.
“The size of the cave was amazingsays in the press release Pavel Gridnev, president of the club of speleologists. If the cave of Borodinskaya Peshchera (not far from there) is the largest in Siberia, the “Frost Grotto” (about three times less) is probably the second.”
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In addition to its size, the cavity is distinguished by its unique conservation conditions: the bones were found on its surface – without even having to be excavated – and some of them were remarkably preserved in the ice.
Paleontologists have thus identified, scattered in the cave, the remains of ancient brown bears, foxes, wolves, mammoths, rhinos, yaks, giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), rhinos (woolly and Merck), gazelles, woolly bison, horses, rodents, birds, fish… and even frogs or toads.
In total, they collected about 400 kilograms of bones, carefully sent to the city of Yekaterinburg for in-depth analysis. “The list of animals is quite long”indeed confirms Dmitry Malikov, principal researcher of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy.
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Thanks to the remains of Merck’s rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus kirchbergensis) now extinct, the age of the various bones has been determined at around 42,000 years, therefore from the Pleistocene. “These finds provide crucial information about the flora and fauna of the time, shedding light on the diet of animals and the climatic conditions of the region”he develops.
The den of hyenas come to gnaw the bones
Researchers are also convinced the cave served as a lair for hyenas thousands of years ago – fossils had previously revealed that those of the extinct genus Chasmaporthetes were once able to endure the extreme conditions of the Arctic continent.
The bones were found gnawed and several remains of rhinos, elephants or deer were in anatomical order, the ulna and the radius together, for example. So many elements which would prove that the formidable carnivores would have dragged pieces of carcasses in the places.
Bones of baby hyenas have also been identified in large numbers, which is rather rare. “It is usually the bones of large hyenas that are preserved, since the bones of young individuals are very fragile, loose and delicate. They can also be gnawed by hyenassays Dmitry Gimranov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology. We even found an entire skull of a young hyena, many lower jaws and milk teeth..“
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This gives scientists the opportunity to study the growth patterns of these young animals, their eating habits and the development of their teeth.
There is a similar cave in Russia, known as the “Geographical Society Cave” (“Пещера Географического общества”) in the Far East, excavated in the late Soviet era. However, among all the materials found in this cave, there are not many hyena remains, let alone whole skulls.
Our team discovered not one but two whole skulls, which is extremely rare. This type of discovery in Russia can be counted on the fingers of one hand. — Dmitry Gimranov.
Because the researchers insist, this incredible prehistoric time capsule is critically important to understanding the Pleistocene epoch. It provides invaluable information on the ancient fauna that once thrived in Siberia, and its diversity. The analysis of coprolites, that is to say fossilized excrement, should also provide other valuable information, kept secretly in the shelter of the rock for thousands of years.
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