Scientists identify extinct Yak X relative in Siberian cave
Genetic analysis of bone fragments from the Altai Mountains reveals a distinct bovine species that lived during the Ice Age.
Researchers have identified an extinct mammal, nicknamed “Yak X”, in the Denisova Cave of the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia, according to The Indian Express.
The animal is a relative of modern yaks, with an evolutionary lineage that split from their ancestors approximately 400,000 years ago.
Scientists studied 20 small bone fragments from the cave and the surrounding region. While the fragments were too small to identify by shape, genetic analysis showed they belonged to a bovine species that is different from other known living or extinct species.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, found that the oldest specimen is between 200,000 and 250,000 years old, while the youngest is about 27,000 years old.
Senior author and evolutionary geneticist Love Dalén told Reuters that it is unusual to recognise a large mammal species from such small, unidentifiable fragments.
Dalén also suggested that the extinct human relatives known as Denisovans may have hunted the animal. Yak X became extinct sometime after 27,000 years ago, though the exact timing and cause remain unknown.