Frozen squirrel poop yields DNA of ice‑age megafauna
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- Arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii) left frozen coprolites in Yukon burrows dated 30,000–700,000 years ago, providing a natural archive of ancient DNA.
- Tyler Murchie of the Hakai Institute examined 13 burrows and extracted DNA from the fecal pellets, identifying microbes, >200 plant groups, and dozens of animal species.
- DNA analysis reconstructed mitochondrial genomes for 12 ground squirrels (including a 700,000‑year‑old lineage), three horses, two bison, one hare, and six woolly mammoth genomes.
- Kelsey Witt of Clemson University noted the difficulty distinguishing whether DNA in coprolites reflects diet or environmental leaching, but the presence of large‑animal DNA suggests possible scavenging of mammoth meat.
- The study (Nature Communications, DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-72977-6) highlights the ecological diversity of the Beringian ice‑age ecosystem, spanning predators, herbivores, and plants.
Why it matters: Paleogenomic researchers gain a new, high‑resolution window into the Beringian ice‑age ecosystem, allowing reconstruction of mitochondrial genomes for dozens of species across 700,000 years, while the study underscores the value of frozen coprolites as natural archives for ancient biodiversity and could inform future models of species resilience.
