Amazingly preserved 46,000-year-old frozen horned lark found in Siberia

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Frozen bird that was so well preserved fossil hunters thought it ‘died yesterday’ turns out to be 46,000 YEARS-OLD

  • A bird found in Siberia is the first known example of an ice age bird  
  • The bird was so well preserved fossil hunters thought it was a modern animal 
  • Researchers studying the animal believe it may be the first recorded example of a frozen bird from 46,000 years ago 

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Published: 11:07 GMT, 21 February 2020 | Updated: 12:17 GMT, 21 February 2020

A frozen bird found in Siberia which was mistaken for an animal that ‘died yesterday’ has been revealed as a 46,000-year-old ancestor of the horned lark.  

This female ‘icebird’ was so well preserved that fossil hunters mistook it for a modern animal but analysis revealed it to be from the last ice age. 

It is believed to be the first recorded example of a frozen bird from this era found in tact in the area, offering new insight into the evolution of some bird species.

It has yet to be given a formal name but has been given the nickname ‘iceman’ by the two researchers studying it. 

A scientific paper published today found the animal likely did a non-violent death and its remains froze almost instantly after flying into a tunnel. 

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Pictured: the 46,000-year-old ‘icebird’ tha was so well preserved that fossil hunters mistook it for an unfortunate creature that ‘died yesterday’ – only to realise they had found the first ever ice age bird

Professor Love Dalén a palaeontologist from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, was on an expedition with local fossil ivory hunters inside an ice tunnel in Siberia when they discovered the prehistoric creature (pictured)

Professor Love Dalén a palaeontologist from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, was on an expedition with local fossil ivory hunters inside an ice tunnel in Siberia when they discovered the prehistoric creature (pictured)

 Professor Love Dalén a palaeontologist from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, was on an expedition with local fossil ivory hunters inside an ice tunnel in Siberia when they discovered the prehistoric creature (pictured)

Professor Love Dalén a palaeontologist from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, was on an expedition with local fossil ivory hunters inside an ice tunnel in Siberia when they discovered the prehistoric creature. 

The fossil hunters revealed they found it in permafrost, indicating it was an ancient creature that had been there for millennia. 

Professor Dalen and his colleague Nicolas Dussex analysed the remains in their laboratory. 

Radiocarbon dating revealed the bird lived around 46,000 years ago and further tests identified it as a horned lark (Eremophila alpestris).

The find was published in the scientific journal Communicators Biology today.    

Professor Dalen speculates the animal did not die a violent death as there are no obvious signs on its remains, and says it likely froze very quickly.  

He says: ‘The study deals with radiocarbon dating and a genomic analysis on what is likely the first-ever discovered frozen bird from the last Ice Age.

‘No autopsy has been done but I think we can conclude its death likely wasn’t violent and it must have been frozen relatively quickly because otherwise it falls apart.

‘I’m pretty sure we also sexed it and it’s a female which is also a little fun fact but we’re not entirely sure what we’re going to do with that information.

‘We haven’t discussed giving it a formal name but within our circle we call it ‘Icebird’ because it was found frozen.’  

The remains of the frozen animal as found in a Siberian tunnel. It was so well preserved, the dad-of-one professor who studied it originally thought it must have flown into the tunnel last winter and died when it became lost

The remains of the frozen animal as found in a Siberian tunnel. It was so well preserved, the dad-of-one professor who studied it originally thought it must have flown into the tunnel last winter and died when it became lost

The remains of the frozen animal as found in a Siberian tunnel. It was so well preserved, the dad-of-one professor who studied it originally thought it must have flown into the tunnel last winter and died when it became lost

Buried and frozen in permafrost near the village of Belaya Gora in north-eastern Siberia, the bird was discovered by local fossil ivory hunters

Buried and frozen in permafrost near the village of Belaya Gora in north-eastern Siberia, the bird was discovered by local fossil ivory hunters

Buried and frozen in permafrost near the village of Belaya Gora in north-eastern Siberia, the bird was discovered by local fossil ivory hunters

Originally, the researchers were baffled as to what sort of bird it was, thinking it may be a thrush or a lark.  

But help from ornithologists via Twitter helped identify the bird and in the paper it is revealed as an ancestor to two different subspecies of horned lark in Russia and Mongolia. 

Professor Dalen added: ‘[I was] holding that little bird in my hand and feeling that it looks like it died yesterday but might have actually died tens of thousands of years ago.

‘It’s a small animal that would have been flying around and living in that environment with cave lions and mammoths and so on – it’s a pretty special feeling.’  

WHAT IS PERMAFROST AND WHAT HAPPENS IF IT MELTS?

Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer below the Earth’s surface found in Arctic regions such as Alaska, Siberia and Canada.

It typically consists of soil, gravel and sand bound together by ice, and is classified as ground that has remained below 0°C (32°F) for at least two years.

It is estimated 1,500 billion tons of carbon is stored in the world’s permafrost – more than twice the amount found in the atmosphere.

The carbon comes in the form of ancient vegetation and soil that has remained frozen for millennia.

If global warming were to melt the world’s permafrost, it could release thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. 

Because some permafrost regions have stayed frozen for thousands of years, it is of particular interest for scientists.

Ancient remains found in permafrost are among the most complete ever found because the ice stops organic matter from decomposing.

A number of 2,500-year-old bodies buried in Siberia by a group of nomads known as the Scythians have been found with their tattooed skin still intact.

A baby mammoth corpse uncovered on Russia’s Arctic coast in 2010 still sported clumps of its hair despite being more than 39,000 years old.

Permafrost is also used in the study of Earth’s geological history as soil and minerals buried deep in Arctic regions for thousands of years can be dug up and studied today.