This is a list of Ice Age species that were preserved as frozen remains in permafrost during the Late Pleistocene. It includes all known species whose tissues were partially preserved in the permafrost of the Arctic and Subarctic regions. Most of these species became extinct during the Late Pleistocene extinctions, while some are still alive today. Each species is listed using the most specific scientific classification level known.

Overview

Permafrost mummies offer important information about how Pleistocene organisms lived and their body functions, because the preservation process stops the specimens from decaying. Permafrost keeps the soft tissues of animals and plants preserved through a process similar to freeze-drying, which removes moisture without melting ice. This complete preservation allows scientists to study many details, such as DNA, environmental DNA (eDNA), evolutionary history, gut contents, and how different species interact in food chains. Research has shown that the preservation is so thorough that some nucleic activity can still be detected.

Some of these preserved specimens are displayed at the Kingdom of the Permafrost museum near Yakutsk.

(E) – stands for an extinct species or subspecies.