# Genomic identification and complete mitochondrial recovery of a Late Holocene porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) mummy from Yukon permafrost

## TL;DR

Scientists discovered a 3000-year-old mummified porcupine in Yukon permafrost and sequenced its complete mitochondrial genome.

## Contribution

The first complete ancient mitochondrial genome of Erethizon dorsatum and confirmation of its presence in Yukon 3000 years ago.

## Key findings

- The specimen is the first known mummified porcupine from ancient North America.
- The mitochondrial genome is the first complete ancient mitogenome for Erethizon dorsatum.
- The porcupine's presence in Yukon 3000 years ago supports dispersal after the Last Glacial Period.

## Abstract

We identified a 3000-year-old specimen from the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in central Yukon Territory, Canada as the first known mummified remains of an ancient North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), known as “Ts’ey” in the Hän language, using genetic analysis and metagenomic validation. Our analysis of the sample yielded the first-ever complete ancient mitochondrial genome for (E. dorsatum) and only the second full mitogenome for the species. Its Holocene age is considerably younger than the Pleistocene megafauna typically recovered in the Yukon permafrost, demonstrating the potential for these deposits to preserve specimens from interglacial periods. Crucially, this finding confirms the presence of porcupines in the region 3000 years ago, in line with the hypothesis that this species only dispersed into Yukon and Alaska following the establishment of boreal forests after the Last Glacial Period.