Remarkable Discovery: 50,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth Found in Siberia
In a groundbreaking announcement, Russian specialists revealed the discovery of a remarkably preserved 50,000-year-old baby mammoth named Yana at the Mammoth Museum in Yakutia. Maxim Cheprásov, head of research at the museum, declared this specimen as one of the best-preserved mammoths ever unearthed globally. The announcement was made during a live stream on the Russian social network VKontakte, capturing the attention of many.
This recent find adds to the small but significant list of mammoths preserved well enough for scientific study, with only six such specimens identified worldwide—five discovered in Russia and one in Canada. Notably, the last baby mammoth found in Russia was named Yuka, discovered in 2010, while another unique specimen surfaced in the Batagaika crater this past June.
The Batagaika crater, located in Eastern Siberia, is recognized as the largest permafrost crater on the planet, steadily expanding due to the effects of global warming. The crater spans over one kilometer and reaches depths of up to 100 meters. Yana, the new baby mammoth, measures about 12 meters in height and weighs an estimated 180 kilograms. Though the exact age of Yana has yet to be finalized, researchers believe it to be around one year old or slightly older.
Cheprásov explained that baby mammoths grew at a faster pace than today’s young horses, bison, or wolves due to their harsh climate that necessitated rapid growth in preparation for the rigors of cold winters. The creature's discovery can be attributed to locals in Batagai, who fortuitously witnessed the emergence of the mammoth's body from the permafrost as it was revealed at a depth of 40 meters.
The unfortunate fate of Yana's remains was highlighted by Cheprásov, who noted that due to the immense weight and pressure of the surrounding earth, the mammoth's body was broken in half. While part of the body fell to the bottom of the crater, the other half, including its pelvis and hind limbs, remained intact in the permafrost until specialists could recover it.
Anatoli Nikoláev, the rector of the Federal University of Yakutia, emphasized the rarity of such discoveries, labeling it a fortunate coincidence. He mentioned that had the discovery occurred even a few days later, the mammoth may not have been preserved as well. The significance of this find extends beyond the university, marking an extraordinary moment in both Russian and global scientific discourse. Nikoláev's sentiments echo the excitement surrounding the potential insights this specimen could offer into the prehistoric Earth and its inhabitants.
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