Amazing details about prehistoric life are revealed by ancient wolf cubs found in Siberian permafrost, including proof that the 14,000-year-old sisters ate woolly rhino before their unexplained deaths. They were wild wolf sisters, not early domesticated dogs as first believed, according to DNA testing. An examination of their stomach contents showed that they had recently eaten wagtail birds and woolly rhinoceroses.
Prehistoric Wolves Emerge from Siberian Ice
The remarkable discovery of two mummified “puppies” in the Siberian permafrost has provided scientists with an unprecedented window into prehistoric wildlife. Initially unearthed near Tumat, Siberia, in 2011 and 2015 alongside woolly mammoth bones, these exceptionally well-preserved canine remains still feature intact fur and tissue. Researchers initially suspected they might represent early examples of dog domestication, but comprehensive genetic testing eventually revealed a different story: these were wild wolf cubs from an extinct population that roamed the region during the Late Pleistocene period.
The study, led by Anne Kathrine Runge and published in the journal Quaternary Research, combined genetic analysis with chemical signatures from the cubs’ remains to create a detailed profile of these ancient predators. The cubs, which researchers have dubbed the “Tumat Puppies,” died between 14,100 and 15,000 years ago, providing a frozen-in-time snapshot of Pleistocene wildlife. Despite being thousands of years old, their remarkable preservation allows scientists to analyze everything from their genetic relationships to the contents of their last meals.
14,000-year-old mummified ‘puppies’ unearthed with fur still intact in ‘incredible’ discovery https://t.co/kGB4g7Hb9o pic.twitter.com/cuKeCy2rDS
— New York Post (@nypost) June 25, 2025
Sisters with a Taste for Prehistoric Megafauna
One of the study’s most fascinating revelations is that the cubs were sisters, likely a few months old at the time of death. Analysis of stomach contents provided extraordinary details about their diet, revealing they had consumed woolly rhinoceros meat and wagtail bird shortly before death. The cubs were at a transitional stage in their development—old enough to consume solid food but still nursing from their mother. This dietary information offers rare insight into how prehistoric wolf packs hunted or scavenged, potentially targeting young or weakened megafauna.
“It was incredible to find two sisters from this era so well preserved, but even more incredible that we can now tell so much of their story, down to the last meal they ate,” Anne Kathrine Wiborg Runge
Environmental analysis based on their remains suggests they lived near a river or oxbow lake in a climate that was relatively dry and mild for the period. Their omnivorous diet included both plants and animals, demonstrating adaptability similar to modern wolves. Researchers speculate that the cubs may have perished when their den collapsed, though the exact cause of death remains undetermined. As researcher Nathan Wales noted, modern wolf litters typically include more than two cubs, suggesting these sisters may have had siblings that escaped whatever fate claimed them.
These nearly perfectly preserved pups are 14,000 years old.
Two remarkably preserved Ice Age wolf pups discovered in Siberian permafrost have revealed fascinating insights into ancient predator life.
Initially suspected to be ancient pups on the path to becoming “man’s best… pic.twitter.com/WizGfluIqL
— Billy Carson II (@4biddnKnowledge) June 23, 2025
Rewriting the Timeline of Domestication
The Tumat Puppies gained initial attention because they were discovered during a period of intense scientific debate about when and how wolves first became domesticated into dogs. The timeline of canine domestication remains controversial, with genetic evidence suggesting dogs and wolves diverged between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, though archaeological evidence for domesticated dogs only dates back about 15,000 years. The Siberian cubs, initially thought to represent early domestication, are now understood to be fully wild animals with no evidence of human interaction.
Scientists note that while the cubs were found alongside mammoth bones showing signs of human interaction, there is no conclusive evidence linking the wolves directly to human activities or scavenging from human sites. The earliest confirmed domesticated dog remains come from Germany and date to approximately 14,000 years ago—roughly the same time period as the Siberian wolf cubs. This timing highlights how wolves and early humans were increasingly sharing the same territories during this pivotal period in prehistory.
A Frozen Time Capsule with More to Reveal
The exceptional preservation of the Tumat Puppies offers researchers unprecedented access to details about prehistoric wildlife that are typically lost to time. From dental development to fur coloration, these specimens provide a comprehensive look at wolf physiology from the Late Pleistocene. The genetic analysis confirms they belonged to an extinct lineage that shared ancestry with modern wolves but represented a distinct population that roamed ancient Siberia during a time when humans were just beginning to expand their presence across the region.
As climate change continues to thaw permafrost across Siberia, researchers anticipate more prehistoric specimens may emerge, potentially including additional wolf cubs or other megafauna. These natural time capsules offer valuable opportunities to understand the complex ecosystems that existed before and during the arrival of humans in these regions. For now, the Tumat Puppies stand as remarkable ambassadors from an ancient world, their well-preserved remains silently telling the story of life during Earth’s last great ice age.