Long before the Arctic looked the way it does now, a stretch of Norway's northern coastline supported an unexpectedly rich mix of wildlife. That picture has emerged from a cave where thousands of years of natural deposits quietly protected the remains of animals that lived during a comparatively mild phase of the last Ice Age. The site has offered an unusually complete record of life in an environment that rarely preserves such ancient evidence. By piecing together bones, sediments and genetic material, scientists have been able to reconstruct a coastal ecosystem that included creatures from the sea, the tundra and freshwater habitats simultaneously. The findings extend well beyond identifying individual species. They provide a glimpse of how entire Arctic communities responded when changing climates reshaped the landscapes they depended on, and why some populations disappeared instead of adapting.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
