Scientists have unveiled two extinct cave lion cubs, their whiskers still bristling after more than 12,000 years preserved in the Siberian ice.

The ancient predators, named Uyan and Dina were dug from the permafrost to make their first appearance since Pleistocene times.

These prehistoric big cats, the best-preserved ever seen of this long-gone species, amount to a 'sensational' find, say the experts.

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Scientists have unveiled two extinct cave lion cubs (pictured), their whiskers still bristling after more than 12,000 years preserved in the Siberian ice. The ancient predators, named Uyan and Dina were dug from the permafrost to make their first appearance since Pleistocene times

While the discovery was revealed last month, only now were close-up pictures revealed of the cubs, described as being the size of 'plump' domestic cats.

Dr Albert Protopopov, head of the mammoth fauna studies department of the Yakutian Academy of Sciences, said: 'This find, beyond any doubt, is sensational.'

The cubs 'are complete with all their body parts: fur, ears, soft tissue and even whiskers', he said.

THE CAVE LIONS OF SIBERIA The European or Eurasian cave lion is an extinct species of lion, known from fossils and prehistoric art. It's most closely related to the modern lion and ranged from Europe to Alaska over the Bering land bridge until the late Pleistocene, around 10,000 years ago. An adult European cave lion is thought to have measured 3.9ft (1.2metres) tall and 6.9ft (2.1metres) in length without its tail, based on a skeleton found in Germany. This means it was a similar size to a modern lion. It's thought the lions probably hunted larger herbivorous animals of their time, including horses, deer, reindeer, bison and even injured old or young mammoths. No-one knows why the lions became extinct, but one suggestion is the population of cave bears and deer - one source of prey - caused them to die out. Advertisement

But it was 'very premature' to consider cloning the extinct creatures back to life.

'Our main task here is to decipher the genome and to work with it,' he said.

They two cubs are, he claimed, unique in the world, 'the most complete remains of cave lions ever found', reported The Siberian Times.

'Possibly, the cubs died in a hole, in a landslide, and afterwards this site was never affected by weather,' said Dr Protopopov.

'This is how we explain such unique preservation of the animals.'

The cave lions were found some 650 miles (1,050 km) north east of Yakutsk, in Yakutia, also known as the Sakha republic, a Siberian region almost as large as India.

A sudden summer rise - then fall - in the level of the Uyandina River led to cracks appearing and local worker Yakov Androsov spotted an ice lens with the lion cubs inside.

Dr Protopopov said: 'Comparing with modern lion cubs, we think that these two were very small, maybe a week or two old.

'The eyes were not quite open, they have baby teeth and not all had appeared.

'We do not know the gender, but we will give them the names in honour of Uyandina river, where they were found, that is Uyan and Dina.'

The discovery was revealed last month but close-up pictures of the cubs been only just been revealed. They have been described as being the size of 'plump' domestic cats and still have all their body parts including fur, ears, soft tissue and even whiskers

The cave lions were found 650 miles (1,050 km) north east of Yakutsk, in Yakutia, also known as the Sakha republic (marked). A sudden summer rise - then fall - in the level of the Uyandina River led to cracks appearing and local worker Yakov Androsov spotted an ice lens with the lion cubs inside

Dr Albert Protopopov, head of the mammoth fauna studies department of the Yakutian Academy of Sciences, said: 'This find, beyond any doubt, is sensational'

He thinks they may have perished after the lioness hid her cubs in a cave or hold to protect them from the hungry lions.

'Then the landslide covered it and they remained surrounded in permafrost. Also the air intake was blocked, and this helped their preservation.'

Next year researchers will go back to the site and search for remains of possibly one more cub, or even the lioness.

Experts do not know the gender of the cubs, but have named them in honour of the Uyandina river where they were found. It is believed that Uyan and Dina perished when their mother hid them from hungry lions

Cave lions - Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss) - lived during Middle and Late Pleistocene times on the Eurasian continent, from the British Isles to Chukotka in the extreme east of Russia, and they also roamed Alaska and northwestern Canada

The Siberian academics want to find and co-operate with a world expert on lion cubs, to help them understand the differences with modern lions, and especially how they protected themselves from the extreme Siberian cold.

Cave lions - Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss) - lived during Middle and Late Pleistocene times on the Eurasian continent, from the British Isles to Chukotka in the extreme east of Russia, and they also roamed Alaska and northwestern Canada.

'Research on the two cubs could help to explain why the species died out around 10,000 years ago, since the animal had few predators, was smaller than herbivores, and was not prone to getting bogged down in swamps, as did woolly mammoths and rhinos,' reported The Siberian Times.

'One theory is a decline in deer and cave bears, their prey, caused their demise.'

The Siberian academics want to find and co-operate with a world expert on lion cubs, to help them understand the differences with modern lions, and especially how they protected themselves from the extreme Siberian cold. The claw of one of the preserved cubs is pictured