Data from: A mummified Pleistocene gray wolf pup

• Main Authors: Meachen, Julie, Wooller, Matthew, Barst, Benjamin, Funck, Juliette, Crann, Carley, Cassatt-Johnstone, Molly, Shapiro, Beth, Hall, Elizabeth, Hewitson, Susan, Heath, Jess, Zazula, Grant
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2021
• Subjects: Canis lupus; stable isotope analysis; radiocarbon dates; mummification; gray wolf; permafrost; Yukon
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.z08kprr9r

Here we describe the oldest, most complete wolf pup mummy discovered to date: "Zhùr", as she was named by the local indigenous Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in community was discovered in 2016 in Yukon, Canada, and is complete with skin, fur, and other soft tissues. We infer that Zhùr died ~57,000 years ago and was ~7 weeks old at death. Her mitochondrial genome falls within a clade comprising ancient Beringian and Russian wolf mitochondrial genomes, and isotopic analyses show her diet was composed of mostly aquatic resources. Although mummies like Zhùr will, unfortunately, become more common as the permafrost thaws, their analysis can provide unprecedented insights into extinct ecosystems. The ReadMe file has all of the data needed to understand and use these data files. Funding provided by: M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000937 Award Number: SR-10 201811010