“This is the first time the head of an ancient wolf has been found whose soft tissue has been preserved after 40,000 years, a grown wolf.” –Albert Protopopov

A prehistoric severed head of a wolf was found along the banks of the Tirekhtyakh River in Yakutia, Siberia. CNN reports a group of mammoth ivory hunters unearthed the incredibly rare find and discovered it had intact teeth and hair preserved by the permafrost.

Scientists are now working up a digital model of the brain and the interior of the skull for further study and team in Stockholm is analyzing the wolf’s DNA.

images from youtube CBS