Frozen droppings of prehistoric ground squirrels in Canada's Yukon contain DNA from woolly mammoths, a mysterious big cat, and other organisms, providing a detailed genetic snapshot of ancient life.

Yukon, Canada

Who

Tyler Murchie, Hendrik Poinar, Hakai Institute, McMaster University

What

When

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:40:57 GMT · 2h 41m ago

Where

Yukon, Canada ·

Why

The ancient rodents' droppings, whether from feasting or collecting materials, reveal the flora and fauna that lived in Beringia during the last ice age.

The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

The discovery of ancient environmental DNA in ground squirrel coprolites provides an unprecedented archive for understanding ecosystem changes and megafaunal evolution in the deep past. This method offers new avenues for reconstructing ancient environments and studying extinct species.

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Verified Sources & Citations

Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/animals/ancient-squirrel-poop-from-arctic-permafrost-contains-dna-from-mammoths-bison-horses-and-big-cats
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