Pictures Present 26,000-12 months-Previous Preserved Lion Cub?

In mid-October 2024, a collage of two pictures spread on social media allegedly displaying a “completely preserved cave lion cub from the Ice Age” that was “about 26,000 years outdated.”

One Fb put up together with the pictures gained greater than 49,000 reactions, 1,900 feedback, and three,300 shares as of this writing.

(Fb person Ers Srs)

The rumor unfold throughout a number of social media platforms, together with on X, Instagram and Threads. 

In brief, the photographs have been genuine, as have been most particulars within the declare. Nevertheless, the lion cub was radiocarbon-dated to about 28,000 years earlier than current (BP), moderately than 26,000 years. Subsequently, we have now rated this declare as largely true.

How Far Again Does the Lion Cub Date?

In mid-August 2021, respected media shops, such because the BBC, Reuters, and The Guardian, printed articles on the invention of two lion cubs encased in Siberian permafrost.

These stories have been based mostly on a study printed within the Quaternary journal in August 2021. That examine discovered that the feminine cub — who was pictured within the social media posts, as is printed beneath, and nicknamed “Sparta” — was radiocarbon-dated to 27,962 ± 109 years (roughly 28,000) earlier than current, whereas the male cub, “Boris,” was dated to 43,448 ± 389 years BP.

“Sparta might be one of the best preserved Ice Age animal ever discovered, and is kind of undamaged aside from the fur being a bit ruffled. She even had the whiskers preserved. Boris is a little more broken, however nonetheless fairly good,” Love Dalen, a professor of evolutionary genetics on the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm, Sweden, and an creator of the examine, reportedly told CNN in early August 2021.

Origins of the Images

The picture on the prime of the collage was originally shared in September 2019 by the Russian Geographical Society. It was captured by Alexey Mikhailov (Алексей Михайлов, in Russian) through the IV Russian Geographical Society Competition, the place “paleontologists talked concerning the sensational discoveries made whereas learning the cave lion cubs.”

Throughout the occasion, one of many lion cubs, Sparta, initially believed to be male, was truly confirmed to be feminine by way of superior imaging research carried out in Japan.

(rgo.ru)

The Russian Geographical Society webpage additionally included a unique picture (see beneath) from the identical scene, displaying Sparta on the left and the second lion cub, Boris, positioned on the suitable.

(rgo.ru, Canva)

The earliest instance of the picture on the backside of the collage within the social media posts seemed to be in a 2019 Siberian Instances article titled: “Gorgeous footage of the world’s solely uniquely preserved cave lion cubs as new secrets and techniques revealed.” (As of this writing, Siberian Instances’ web site was not accessible, displaying a discover “Web site is coming quickly.”)

(siberiantimes.com through archive.is)

Under is a video, from The Siberian Instances’ YouTube channel, displaying Sparta in environment much like these depicted within the above picture.

Sources