Ancient DNA of the Don-Hares Assumes the Existence of Two Distinct Mitochondrial Clades in Northeast Asia
Journal: Genes
Year: 2023

Paleoclimatic changes during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition is suggested as a main factor that led to species extinction, including the woolly mammoth (<i>Mammuthus primigenius</i>), Steller's sea cow (<i>Hydrodamalis gigas</i>) and the Don-hare (<i>Lepus tanaiticus</i>). These species inhabited the territory of Eurasia during the Holocene, but eventually went extinct. The Don-hare is an extinct species of the genus <i>Lepus</i> (Leporidae, Lagomorpha), which lived in the Late Pleistocene-E