by Calling all “Ice Age” lovers: The frozen remains of a 35,000-year-old saber-toothed cat have been examined for the first time in history, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.
The animal’s mummified remains, which include its head, arms and part of its chest, were found well-preserved in Yakutia, Russia in 2020 and were proven to belong to a boy about three weeks old, according to the study.
The young cub’s most notable features were its small ears, long neck and forearms, dark brown fur and large mouth opening, the study authors wrote. When compared with the remains of a modern lion cub of similar age, it was found that the cat mummy shared characteristics with the subfamily Machairodontinae, particularly the genus Homotherium – cats with sharp, curved saber teeth that existed about 12 million to 10,000 years ago in North America and Europe.
A. shows the frozen mummy and B. shows Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758), the remains of a modern lion cub.
Compared to the remains of modern lion cubs, the Homotherium cat’s ears sit higher on the skull and its mouth opening is about 11 to 19 percent larger, according to the study. His neck is also “longer and more than twice as thick” as that of the modern boy.
For fans of the Ice Age film series, the description of the saber-toothed cat may sound familiar. The character Diego, a saber-toothed tiger, has very similar characteristics to the 35,000-year-old cub.
This is the first time remains of this species have been examined.
“For the first time in the history of paleontology, the appearance of an extinct mammal that has no analogues in the modern fauna has been studied,” the study authors write.
The corresponding author of the study did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
