New extinct yak species identified from Denisova cave DNA — SkimNews
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- Stockholm University researchers identified a new extinct bovine species, 'yak X,' from DNA in hundreds of Denisova cave bone fragments originally collected to study bison evolution.
- Yak X diverged from the modern wild yak (Bos mutus) roughly 400,000 years ago, became genetically isolated by 250,000 years ago, and went extinct around 30,000 years ago.
- The team assembled 20 genomes from bones at Denisova cave and three other sites across the Altai and Ural mountains.
- All remains were found at elevations far below the Tibetan Plateau—the modern yak's native range—suggesting the extinct species was less adapted to extreme mountain environments.
- The researchers suspect yak X may correspond to yak-like remains that Russian paleontologists previously classified as a subspecies of the Himalayan yak.
- The team says Denisovans, Neanderthals, and modern humans—all Denisova cave occupants—likely encountered the species during its 200,000-year tenure in the region, though no direct hunting evidence yet exists.
- The genetic gap between yak X and modern yaks rivals the split between polar bears and brown bears, indicating a substantially distinct animal.
Why it matters: For over 200,000 years, yak X roamed Siberia alongside three human species—then vanished around 30,000 years ago. Built from just 20 genomes, the find may force reclassification of Russian paleontological remains once filed as a Himalayan yak subspecies and proves Denisova cave still hides unknown megafauna.
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