By Will Stewart In Moscow For The Daily Mail
Published: 16:45 BST, 11 June 2019 | Updated: 16:47 BST, 11 June 2019
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Scientists have unveiled the severed head of a huge prehistoric wolf baring its teeth.
The snarling beast with its brain intact was found preserved in permafrost in the Yakutia region on Siberia - and dates from more than 40,000 years ago.
It was discovered above the Arctic Circle by local man Pavel Efimov in summer 2018 near the remote Tirekhtyakh River but the find was only now revealed.
The predator with a thick 'mammoth-like' coat and impressive fangs seems to have been larger than today's Siberian wolves.
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Frozen in time: The snarling beast with its brain intact was found preserved in permafrost in the Yakutia region on Siberia - and dates from more than 40,000 years ago
The reason the wolf's head was severed is not known, but it's unlikely to have been the trophy of an ancient hunter since early man only started to arrive in this part of northern Russia around 32,500 years ago, it is believed.
Russian scientist Dr Albert Protopopov said: 'This is a unique discovery of the first-ever remains of a fully grown Pleistocene wolf with its tissue preserved.
'We will be comparing it to modern-day wolves to understand how the species has evolved and to reconstruct its appearance.'
The head is almost 16 inches long, around half the full length of a modern wolf in Siberia.
Scientists at the Swedish Museum of Natural History will examine the Pleistocene predator's DNA, reported The Siberian Times.
The discovery of the wolf was announced in Tokyo at an exhibition of remains of frozen beasts including woolly mammoths.
Comparative: The decapitated head is almost 16 inches long, around half the full length of a modern wolf in Siberia, and pre-dates human existence
