Wolf pup more than 50,000-years-old on display in Whitehorse

The mummified wolf pup foundnear Dawson City more thantwo years ago made a very brief appearance in Whitehorse Friday.

• 'Spectacular' mummified ice age wolf pup, caribou calf found at Yukon mine sites

It was on display at the YukonBeringiaInterpretive Centre between 2 and 5 p.m.Elizabeth Hall, assistant paleontologist with the Yukon Government, was on hand to answer questions.

The pup, found frozen in permafrost by a miner in July 2016, is beyond the range of radio carbon dating, meaning it is more than 50,000 years old, Hall said. The pup is remarkably well-preserved, with fur, skin and muscle tissue intact.

Hall said the pup is significant both scientifically and culturally.

"She's a very important find. She's probablythe only wolf-pup mummified remains in the whole entire worldthat we know of so far."

Hall said the pup will eventually go on permanent display at the Beringia Centre, likely next winter. She said the centre is building a display to house the pupand the mummified caribou that was found a month before the wolf pup.

The mummifiedanimals were previously on display at theDanojaZho Cultural Centre in Dawson City.Hall said the caribou is not as easy to transport as the wolf pup, and will likely not go on display in Whitehorse before the permanent exhibit is completed.

Ongoing research

Hall said when the miner found the wolf pup, he very smartly put it in thefreezer to preserve it until Yukon paleontologists were able to investigateit. They sent it the Canadian ConservationInstitute in Ottawa, where the pup wasthawed, dried out and brushed out.

Hall said no chemicals were used to preserve the pup, which makes it easier to test. An X-ray of the pup determined she was female and about two months old when she died. DNA testing will also be done to learn more about the species.

"We've also sent off samples for stable isotope analysis which will also tell us about her diet."

Hall said the pup would have already been weaned and eating food.

"That will be interesting to see what she was eating."