Russia found two Ice Age lion cubs that were almost perfectly preserved, with fur and whiskers.Scientists believe the cubs, also known as Sparta or Boris, lived between 28,000 and 43,000 years ago.Researchers believe Sparta is the most preserved Ice Age animal ever discovered.Insider Healthcare: Get the latest news and analysis in healthcare Loading Click to sign up for marketing emails from Insider and other partners. You also agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy PolicyTwo cave lion cubs, Boris and Sparta, were found in East Russia by scientists.Scientists believe that only four cave lion cubs from ancient times have been discovered, and these two are the best preserved.Love Dalen, an Evolutionary Genetics professor and author of a new study about the cubs, stated that Sparta was probably the most well-preserved Ice Age animal ever discovered."She even kept her whiskers. Boris is slightly more damaged but still quite good.Centre for Palaeogenetics, August 4, 2021 (@CpgSthlm).Panthera spelaea is the name given to cave lions that lived in Eurasia during Ice Age. They were extinct more than 10,000 years ago.Boris and Sparta were discovered by mammoths tusk hunters within 15 meters (49 feet each) on the banks the Semyuelyakh River in 2017.New research has shown that they are approximately 15,000 years apart in age, contrary to what was initially believed.According to a study published in Quaternary, scientists have determined that Boris, the male cub, is approximately 43,448 years of age, and Sparta, the female cub, is 27,962 year old.According to the study, both animals died at around one to two months of age. Researchers did not find any evidence that they were killed by a predator, although it is unclear what caused their deaths.They must have been buried quickly, given their preservation. Dalen suggested that they may have died in a mudslide or were crushed by the permafrost. Due to the seasonal thawing or freezing, permafrost can form large cracks.According to the team, the cubs had coats that were not identical to African lion cubs. Sparta's coat was more greyish than Boris.They stated that Sparta's fur color is generally greyish-light brown while Boris' fur is lighter and greyish yellowish."It's therefore possible that light colors prevailed in cave lions, and were adaptive to northern snow-covered landscapes.
