Irish Stoats

Irish stoats have an older Lineage Dr Robbie McDonald, Manager of Quercus at Queen’s, “These tenacious carnivores probably survived the extreme cold at the peak of the last Ice Age by living under the snow and eating lemmings, just as they do in Greenland today. “Irish stoats are a diverse and ancient lineage, this study provides the first compelling evidence that a species of mammal found in Ireland today actually survived throughout the worst of the Ice Age weather. “The Irish fauna is a very unusual mix of native and introduced species, but we tend to overlook the unique nature of the Irish gene pool of many species, such as stoats and hares. This work helps identify which species should be a priority for conserving the Irish natural heritage.” Genetic research has found that the Irish lineage of stoats is about 23,500 years old, compared to the British lineage, which is about 12,000 years old. ____________________________________________ 

 I have always been fascinated by this sort of thing. I recall reading how native hawaiian birds  were all blown there. Another one that springs to mind- is Tapirs. Tapirs are believed to have migrated over an immature Atlantic. 

They say Columbus came across the corpse of an Eskimo washed down from Greenland, in his youth.