Klondike, Yukon, Canada – A remarkably intact horse skull from the Ice Age has been unearthed in the Klondike frozen mining area, captivating scientists and the public alike. The rare fossil is estimated to be approximately 30,000 years old, offering valuable insights into the ancient horse species that once roamed North America.
The discovery was made by local miners in a permafrost mining site. Initially,only the lower and upper jaws were visible. The following day, a careful evacuation process using warm water was employed to gently soften the surrounding ice without causing damage to the fossil’s delicate structure.Miners assisted the Yukon Paleontology program team by spraying water directly onto the find to aid in its extraction.
Ice Age Horse Fossil Unearthed in Yukon Mine
Experts tentatively place the age of the horse at around 30,000 years, based on preliminary environmental and soil layer analysis at the discovery site. Tho,definitive dating awaits the results of radiocarbon analysis. While over 50 distinct Ice Age horse species have been identified, the precise classification of this particular fossil remains undetermined.
Cameron Webber, a researcher involved in the project, noted that the skull’s physical characteristics and tooth morphology offer clues to its evolutionary lineage. Still, he emphasized that without ancient DNA analysis, a definitive species identification is not yet possible.
Clues to Age and Sex of Ice Age Horse Fossil
The research team has indicated that the presence of canine teeth suggests the fossil may belong to a male horse. Furthermore, the fact that these canine teeth had not fully developed leads the team to conclude that the horse was likely a juvenile at the time of its death.
Horses are native to North America and became extinct on the continent approximately 11,000 years ago. They were reintroduced to the Americas by Europeans in the 15th century. Discoveries like this are crucial for understanding the evolutionary history of horses and the relationship between Ice Age species and their modern descendants.