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A remarkably complete Ice Age wolf was found in Siberian permafrost in 2021, with fur, organs and gastrointestinal contents still preserved. Researchers say it is more than 44,000 years old. Its remains offer a rare chance to investigate an ancient predator’s biology—but claims about its last meal, microbes or human DNA remain research questions, not reported discoveries.
Where was the ancient wolf found?
Local residents discovered the carcass in 2021 in permafrost about 40 metres deep near the Tirekhtyakh River, in the Abyysky district of Yakutia, Russia. The find was transferred to the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha for study. The European University at St. Petersburg reported the discovery and location in 2024: European University at St. Petersburg.
The researchers describe the specimen as a fully preserved adult late-Pleistocene predator, more than 44,000 years old. A 2026 conference abstract gives its age as approximately 44 ka, or 44,000 years: BelBi conference abstract.
What survived—and why is it unusual?
Reports describe preserved fur, teeth, bones, soft tissues and internal organs, along with contents from the gastrointestinal tract. Most fossil discoveries preserve hard parts far better than organs or stomach contents. In this case, the range of surviving material gives scientists a chance to investigate biological evidence that usually disappears or becomes difficult to interpret.
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The carcass underwent an autopsy in the Mammoth Museum laboratory in Yakutsk. The work involved researchers from the North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU), the Academy of Sciences of Sakha, the European University at St. Petersburg and the Institute of Experimental Medicine. Accounts of the autopsy and its research aims are available from the European University and The Siberian Times.
What are scientists looking for inside the wolf?
Diet and gastrointestinal contents
Researchers collected gastrointestinal material to investigate the animal’s diet. The contents could contain remnants or molecular traces of what it ate, but the public accounts do not establish a confirmed last meal for this wolf.
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Microbes, parasites and ancient viruses
Internal organs and gastrointestinal contents were also collected to study microbiota, parasites and ancient viruses. These are study targets, not confirmed findings: available reports do not publish final results identifying the wolf’s microbiome, parasites or viruses.
Genome and comparison with modern wolves
Soft-tissue samples were collected for genome sequencing and comparison with modern wolves. A 2026 BelBi abstract reports extraction from hair, skin and gastrointestinal contents, followed by sequencing on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform: BelBi conference abstract. That description records methods and early work; it does not provide a final, peer-reviewed genomic result for the carcass.
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The possibility of human DNA
Because the wolf lived during the Pleistocene, researchers have raised the possibility that its gastrointestinal contents could be examined for traces of ancient humans. Artem Nedoluzhko, scientific director of the European University Laboratory of Paleogenomics, said: “This study could potentially turn out to be a search for DNA molecules of ancient humans in the contents of the gastrointestinal tract of the Pleistocene wolf.” The wording is explicitly about a possible research objective; no human DNA recovered from this wolf has been reported.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What has—and has not—been established?
The carcass is notable for its age and unusually complete preservation, and published descriptions document sampling and sequencing work. They do not yet establish a confirmed last meal or final findings for this specimen’s diet, microbiome, parasites, viruses or genome. The 2021 study of ancient Siberian wolf lineages in Current Biology provides broader context, but it is not a report on this Tirekhtyakh River carcass autopsy: Current Biology study.
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