In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unveiled the remarkably well-preserved remains of a 50,000-year-old baby mammoth, providing a unique window into the past.
The Remains of ‘Remarkably Well-Preserved’ Baby Mammoth Unveiled by Scientists
The harsh cold of Siberia has preserved the baby mammoth’s remains almost perfectly. Russian scientists have unveiled the remains of a 50,000-year-old baby mammoth found in thawing permafrost in the remote Yakutia region of Siberia during the summer.
A Window into the Past
Weighing in at over 100kg (15st 10lb), and measuring 120cm (4ft) tall and 200cm long, Yana is estimated to have been only about one-year-old when she died. This discovery is significant as it provides a unique opportunity for scientists to study the life and death of a prehistoric creature up close.
Yana was found in the Batagaika crater, the world’s largest permafrost (ground that is permanently frozen) crater, by people living nearby. The residents “were in the right place at the right time”, according to Maxim Cherpasov, the head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory. They saw that the mammoth had almost completely thawed out and decided to build a make-shift stretcher to lift the mammoth to the surface.
Preserving the Past
As a rule, the part that thaws out first, especially the trunk, is often eaten by modern predators or birds, said Cherpasov. However, “even though the forelimbs have already been eaten, the head is remarkably well preserved”. This suggests that Yana‘s body was trapped in a swamp, which helped to preserve her remains for several tens of thousands of years.
Yana is being studied at the North-Eastern Federal University in the region’s capital Yakutsk. Scientists are now conducting tests to confirm when she died. The discovery is not isolated, as other pre-historic discoveries have been made in Russia’s vast permafrost in recent years due to climate change.
