The remains of 46 species of mammals, fish, and birds dating back over 10,000 years have been discovered in a cave in northern Norway, providing the oldest evidence yet of European Arctic wildlife.
The finds, which include a polar bear, walrus, bowhead whale, and Atlantic puffin, offer “a rare glimpse into a vanished Arctic world,” according to scientists.
The bones also included remains of collared lemmings, a rodent now extinct in Europe and never before found in Scandinavia.
The team believes the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), may help improve our understanding of how wildlife responded to dramatic climate changes in the past, as the animal community dates from a warmer phase of the Ice Age.
DNA tests conducted during this research revealed that the animal lineages did not survive when colder conditions returned.
“These discoveries offer a rare insight into a lost Arctic world,” says Sam Walker from Bournemouth University. “They also highlight how vulnerable cold-adapted species can be to climate change, helping us understand their resilience and extinction risks today.”
The remains were found in the Arne Qvamgrotta cave, which was first discovered in the 1990s when a local mining industry drilled a tunnel through the nearby mountain. However, it was during extensive excavations in 2021 and 2022 that the animal discoveries were made, including common eiders, rock ptarmigans, and Atlantic cod.
“We had very little evidence of Arctic life from this period due to the scarcity of remains preserved from over 10,000 years ago,” Sanne Boessenkool from the University of Oslo said.
The cave revealed a diversity of animals within a coastal ecosystem that represented both marine and terrestrial environments.
Researchers suggest that the variety of animals found, including migratory reindeer, indicates that the habitat was mostly ice-free at that time. The presence of freshwater fish also suggests the existence of lakes and rivers in the tundra.
