13 Mummified Mice Found on Andean Volcanoes Shows They Scurried Towards the Summit on Their Own, Some 350 Years Ago

Four of the 13 mummified mice discovered on the Andean Volcanoes scrambled to the top on their own 350 years ago, while the others succeeded a few hundred years later.

Mice Found on the Summits of Andean Volcanoes

In homes worldwide, mice often seek refuge, from attics to kitchen cabinets. Surprisingly, scientists unearthed 13 mummified mice in an unexpected place: the summits of three towering Andean volcanoes, each towering 20,000 feet high. These peaks, characterized by freezing temperatures and scarce oxygen at half the sea level's concentration, are a realm for the resolute.

Initially, the assumption was that Incan pilgrims had unwittingly transported the mice on their ascent. However, a recent investigation led by experts from the University of Nebraska has proposed a novel theory: these rodents ascended independently, though the exact motivation remains a mystery.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, a few mouse cadavers were discovered by archaeologists, who initially posited that Incan pilgrims had transported these creatures as sacrificial offerings. Jay Storz, the study's lead author, acknowledged the reasonableness of this hypothesis at the time, as no other apparent explanation existed. According to Storz, the hostile conditions of the volcanic summits seemed uninhabitable.

Nevertheless, this long-standing belief was challenged in 2020 when mountaineer Mario Perez Mamani encountered a live leaf-eared mouse atop Llullaillaco, a colossal 22,000-foot volcano spanning the Chile-Argentina border.

13 Mummified Mice, Four From 350 Years Ago

In their recent study, the researchers embarked on an expedition to explore three volcanoes: Salín, Púlar, and Copiapó. During their journey, they stumbled upon a surprising discovery - a total of 13 mouse cadavers. Jay Storz, the lead researcher, described these specimens as essentially freeze-dried, mummified mice.

Once the mouse cadavers were found, the researchers transported them back to the laboratory for in-depth analysis. Using carbon-14, an atom with a known decay rate, they determined the time of death for these mice. The results revealed that eight of the mice from Salin and one from Copiapo perished within the last few decades, while the four mice on Pular had met their fate 350 years ago.

Storz emphasized that it is becoming increasingly evident that these mice ascended the volcanoes of their own accord. Furthermore, genetic analysis confirmed that these high-altitude mice were genetically indistinguishable from their lowland counterparts.

The researchers remain puzzled as to why these mice ventured to such extreme elevations. On the ground, they face numerous predators, including foxes, mountain lions, smaller cats, and birds of prey. Nestling atop a 6,000-meter volcano provides some safety, but the precise motivation behind their ascent remains a perplexing mystery.

Future Applications

Although it may seem like a leap, the researchers believe their findings may be helpful for upcoming Mars expeditions.

Even at the foot of the volcanoes, according to Storz, the mice are surviving in harsh Martian conditions. The situation is significantly worse on the volcano peaks. It has an astronomical quality.

Such a species, much less a warm-blooded mammal, could survive and operate in such an environment, he claimed, simply baffles the imagination.