It's a great day for amateur palaeontologists, following news that a mummified saber-toothed tiger cub from the Ice Age was discovered in Siberia.
Naturally, the discovery is sending ripples of excitement through the fossil enthusiast community, since it marks the first known unearthing of a saber-toothed cat in mummified form in history. Better yet, the mummy tiger has been exceptionally preserved, offering scientists their most accurate look into the lives of the Ice Age animal yet. Sure, we had Diego in Ice Age, but at the risk of dashing your dreams, that was an animated children's film, and likely wasn't consulted by these palaeontologists.
Since it was preserved so well, scientists have discovered new information around the saber-toothed cub's muscle formation and hunting style, as well as the striking thickness of its fur (you'd hope so, since it's the Ice Age). While we know much more about their distant big cat relatives (we can thank The Lion King for that), the recent mummy discovery has shed light on previously unknown details, like the softness of the saber-toothed cat's coat, as well as the differences it has with its cousins in Simba, Mufasa and the rest of the gang.
After the discovery, palaeontologists learned that the saber-toothed cat had darker fur and smaller ears than a modern day lion cub of a similar age (about three weeks old), and also found that its forelimbs and mouth were larger -- presumably to make room for those protruding canine teeth. Since it represents a part of the big cat family tree that goes back almost to the origin of the entire species, palaeontologists have been sent into a downright tizzy following the discovery, mustering the same level of excitement I had when Timothée Chalamet appeared at his own lookalike contest (we all have our interests).
"It's a fantastic feeling to see with your own eyes the life appearance of a long-extinct animal," Alexey V. Lopatin, a chief researcher at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute, told CNN. "Especially when it comes to such an interesting predator as the saber-toothed cat." While it marks the first known unearthing of a mummified saber-toothed cat, palentologists have been busy dusting off their brushes and chisels to discover different mummy species in the past.
In 2022, we (I say "we" like I was actually on the frontline), discovered a mummified mammoth in North America with its fur and skin still intact, and we've elsewhere found woolly rhino babies and prehistoric bears. Oh, there's also Ötzi -- also known as The Iceman -- who is the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 and is believed to be Europe's oldest known natural human mummy. And I thought I was getting old!
The discovery of the Ice Age cub comes amid a surprisingly huge year for animals in the news, particularly (and bizarrely) in the world of politics. Of course, there was the viral sensation that was Moo Deng (whose presidential prophecy still sends shivers down my spine), and the bear cub who was buried in Central Park by a certain former presidential candidate. There was also a buzzy beached whale that made headlines, and a poor dog victimized by someone who could be the next Homeland Security secretary. Here's hoping RFK Jr. doesn't get wind of this mummified saber-toothed cat, because god knows what kind of troublesome plans he has for that creature.