Read moreJust one sample, taken from a curious stuffed “yeti”, bucked the trend – the creature turned out to be a taxidermy mash-up boasting the hair of a bear and the teeth of a dog. The team suggested they might be from an unknown species of bear, or a descendant from a hybrid of a polar and brown bear. Sources included mummified animals found in monasteries, hair collected by nomadic herdsmen, bone from a spiritual healer and a stuffed “yeti” from the Messner Mountain Museum. The team also analysed 15 other samples from zoos, national parks and museums, the majority of which were known to be from Himalayan brown bears. “Of those nine samples, eight of them matched local bears that are found in the region today,” said Lindqvist, adding that the ninth sample was the dog tooth from the stuffed yeti.

Source: The Guardian November 29, 2017 07:07 UTC