World News for Students of English

05-03-2015 15:00

The remains of a baby woolly rhino, which still has its fleece, has been discovered in Siberia.

Named Sasha, the extinct creature, which is thought to be at least 10,000 years old, is the first juvenile woolly rhino to be found.

It was well-preserved by permafrost and experts are hopeful of extracting its DNA.

A local hunter found the baby woolly rhino by a stream in Russia’s largest and coldest region, Yakutia, in September.

The cub’s skull and face are quite clearly visible and an ear, one eye, its nostrils and teeth are in good condition, as well as the wool.

The remnants of two horns were also found through the carcass, which weighs about 60 kilograms and was half-gnawed.

Russian scientists will now try to extract DNA and conduct certain tests to find out the exact age of the curb and the date it died.

Difficult words: fleece (the woolly covering), extinct creature (an animal that no longer exists), juvenile (young), permafrost (ground which is always frozen), extract (to remove), stream (a small narrow river), cub (young rhino), nostril (one of the holes in the nose), remnant (something that stays), carcass (an animal’s dead body), half-gnawed (bit into two parts), conduct (to do).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com