Russia uncovers 40,000 year-old wolf head, preserved in ice

The head of an ancient wolf, which had been preserved in permafrost for over 40,000 years, is seen on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh river in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Valery Plotnikov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - About 40,000 years ago, a wolf died in what we know as Siberia. Now its severed head has been found, and because of the freezing conditions, it is so well preserved that its fur, teeth, brain and facial tissue are largely intact.

A Yakutia resident, Pavel Yefimov, found the head last summer on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh river, close to the Arctic Circle in the region of Yakutia, local media outlet the Siberian Times reported.