Meet this extinct cave lion, at least 10,000 years old

This summer about two cave lions  were discovered underneath the Siberian wastelands dating back over 10,000 years ago.

The extraordinary discovery was made by the scientists in the Academy of Sciences of the Sakha Republic, aka Yakutia, and they revealed the stunning images ahead of a major presentation of the remains next month.

The cubs are perfectly preserved and scientists are hoping that this discovery will shed light on the reasons why the cave lion became extinct. They are hoping to obtain genetic material of a high enough quality to attempt to bring the cave lion back to live - similar to the woolly mammoth. 

The cave lion roamed the ancient world from the British Isles to northern Europe and Russia. They were even found in Alaska and Northern Canada before becoming extinct over 10,000 years ago. The Siberian Times reported that the prehistoric mammal was the best preserved ever unearthed and could be even older than first thought.

Finds of their remains are rare: today's announcement about the existence of the pair is coupled with the confident claim that they are best preserved ever unearthed in the world. 

Previously, only fragments of carcasses, parts of skeletons and individual bones had been found. Until now, in Yakutia, only skulls, some teeth and bones were unearthed which has prevented scientists having more than an approximate image of the extinct creature.

Both cubs will be unveiled at a presentation to scientists and the international media inNovember in  Yakutsk, which will also include remains of 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth Yuka, also found in the same region.

Source: The Siberian Times