https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/science/frozen-puppy-found-russia.html

Skip to contentSkip to site index
Science
 
 
Today's Paper
Science|Was This 18,000-Year-Old Siberian Puppy a Dog or a Wolf?
  
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/science/
frozen-puppy-found-russia.html

  * Share full article
  * 
  * 
  * 8

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your
access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will
load.

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Was This 18,000-Year-Old Siberian Puppy a Dog or a Wolf?

The animal was buried in a lump of frozen mud in Russia, its fur,
whiskers and body fully intact. Scientists are studying its DNA to
understand whether it is a dog or a wolf.

  * Share full article
  * 
  * 
  * 8

[17OBS-frozenpuppy2-articleLarge-v2]
Scientists presented a unique prehistoric canine, believed to be
18,000 years old, to the public on Monday. It was found in permafrost
in the far east of Russia.Credit...Sergei Fyodorov/The Yakutsk
Mammoth Museum, via Associated Press

By Laura M. Holson

Dec. 2, 2019

An 18,000-year-old puppy buried for centuries in a lump of frozen mud
was unveiled on Monday by scientists who hope it can help bridge the
connection between dogs and wolves.

The puppy, which was male, was discovered 18 months ago, preserved in
a layer of permafrost in Siberia's Far Eastern reaches, according to
Dave Stanton, a research fellow at the Center for Palaeogenetics in
Stockholm and one of the scientists who examined its DNA.

The fur, skeleton, teeth, head, lashes and whiskers of the pup, named
Dogor, are still intact, he said. But scientists don't know whether
it is a dog or wolf. Dr. Stanton said more DNA research would be
conducted in the coming months.

"We need to put this information into context," he said in an
interview.

Many scientists say dogs evolved about 15,000 years ago from a
species of extinct wolves. Others suggest it could have happened much
earlier, perhaps 30,000 years ago or more. These wolves evolved after
generations of exposure to humans, were domesticated and became the
canine companions we know today.

Image
Researchers examining the fossilized remains of an extinct
Paleolithic horse's foal, dug out from the permafrost in Siberia's
Batagaika crater in 2018.Credit...Michil Yakovlev/EPA, via
Shutterstock

The puppy, which was found by locals, is being studied at
North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia,
a sprawling region in eastern Siberia that constitutes 20 percent of
Russia. (The puppy remains were found near Yakutsk.) Nikolai
Androsov, director of the Northern World museum where the remains
will be kept, presented the discovery on Monday, according to The
Associated Press. Yakutia is known for its oil and gas reserves and
abundance of diamond mines.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in
Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe
 for all of The Times.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Related Content

  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 

  * 
  * 
  * 

  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Site Index

Site Information Navigation

  * (c) 2025 The New York Times Company

  * NYTCo
  * Contact Us
  * Accessibility
  * Work with us
  * Advertise
  * T Brand Studio
  * Privacy Policy
  * Cookie Policy
  * Terms of Service
  * Terms of Sale
  * Site Map
  * Canada
  * International
  * Help
  * Subscriptions

  * Manage Privacy Preferences