Two 10,000-year-old lion cubs were discovered in a Siberian cave, and have been incredibly well-preserved underneath the permafrost.
The Siberian Times reported that the discovery was made by researchers from the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia, who will make a full presentation on the finding in late November.
"The find is sensational, no doubt," said a source close to the discovery.
In their preliminary announcement, the researchers confirmed the species of the long-extinct cave lions, Panthera spelaea, and said that initial tests showed the carcasses free of dangerous infections like anthrax.
The cave lion species is believed to have lived during the Middle and Late Pleistocene Era, and ranged from the British Isles to Russia, Alaska, and even northwestern Canada. They are relatives of the modern lions that roam Africa and Asia.
Up until now, researchers have only found parts of skeletons and other carcass fragments of the cave lions, making the new discover quite remarkable, as the cubs are fully intact, with even the fur preserved.
When scientists make their full announcement about the discovery and early findings in November, they will also give updates about the famous "Oimyakon" mammoth, a Kolyma woolly rhinoceros, and Yukagir bison and horses,
The Daily Mail reported.
The baby woolly rhinoceros found last year, named Sasha, was initially believed to be 10,000 years old, however an autopsy revealed that it was in fact 34,000 years old.
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