Biomolecular analyses reveal the age, sex and species identity of a near-intact Pleistocene bird carcass

The history of Coast Salish "woolly dogs" revealed by ancient genomics and Indigenous Knowledge

Ancestral Coast Salish societies in the Pacific Northwest kept long-haired "woolly dogs" that were bred and cared for over millennia. However, the dog wool-weaving tradition declined during the 19th century, and the population was lost. In this study, we analyzed genomic and isotopic data from a preserved woolly dog pelt from "Mutton," collected in 1859. Mutton is the only known example of an Indigenous North American dog with dominant precolonial ancestry postdating the onset of settler colonialism. We identified candidate genetic variants potentially linked with their distinct woolly phenotype. We integrated these data with interviews from Coast Salish Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and weavers about shared traditional knowledge and memories surrounding woolly dogs, their importance within Coast Salish societies, and how colonial policies led directly to their disappearance.

Dyuktai Goose (Anser djuktaiensis) and Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) from the Pleistocene of Central Yakutia

Bird bones from the Late Pleistocene (31-24 kyr) Ikhine-2 site (Central Yakutia), one of the key Upper Paleolithic sites in northeastern Siberia, have first been studied. This is the northernmost and the oldest bird association in the Pleistocene of Eastern Siberia. Among the bone materials available, the coracoids of the extinct Dyuktai goose (Anser djuktaiensis) and the hooded crane (Grus monacha) are of particular interest. Dyuktai goose is a large representative of the mammoth fauna, originally described from younger deposits (12-13 kyr) in southeastern Yakutia. This is the second find of this species in Russia, which significantly expands our understanding of the geography and time of its distribution. The hooded crane, a rare modern species with a limited habitat area, has first been found in paleontological record. This find indicates the northern distribution of this species during the Late Pleistocene Karginian interstadial. Bones of Anas crecca and Larus canus have also been found at the site.

The Preliminary Analysis of Cave Lion Cubs Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) from the Permafrost of Siberia

A preliminary description is presented of the well-preserved frozen mummies of two cubs of the extinct cave lion Panthera spelaea (finds of 2017–2018, Semyuelyakh River, Yakutia, eastern Siberia, Russia). The fossil lion cubs were found in close proximity, but they do not belong to the same litter, since their radiocarbon ages differ: the female (named ‘Sparta’) was dated to 27,962 ± 109 uncal years BP, and the male (named ‘Boris’) was dated to 43,448 ± 389 uncal years BP. The lion cubs have similar individual ages, 1–2 months. The general tone of the colour of the fur coat of Sparta is greyish to light brown, whereas, in Boris, the fur is generally lighter, greyish yellowish. It is, therefore, possible that light colouration prevailed with age in cave lions and was adaptive for northern snow-covered landscapes. The article discusses the results of computed tomography of cubs of the cave lion, the possible reasons for their death, and the peculiarities of their existence in the Siberian Arctic.