Russian scientists have presented the remains of a baby mammoth found in thawing permafrost in Siberia. The mammoth, calculated to be 50,000 years old, has been named “Yana” after the river basin where the discovery occurred. Scientists say Yana is the most well-preserved mammoth remains found in the world.
The discovery of mammoth remains is quite rare. Before Yana’s discovery, there were only six such finds, with five in Russia and one in Canada.
The residents of the remote Yakutia region stumbled across the mammoth carcass in the Batagaika crater, the world’s largest permafrost, after a portion collapsed. The front half of the carcass fell to the bottom, while the back half remained in the permafrost. The crater has slowly expanded since the 1960s, leading to the discovery of other prehistoric remains, including a horse and bison.
According to one researcher, Yana probably got trapped in a swamp, which preserved her remains for the last tens of thousands of years. Weighing over 100 kg and standing 120 cm tall and 200 cm long, she was only about one year old at the time of her death.
Researchers believe young mammoths grew faster than modern-day horses, bison, and wolves due to the extreme weather conditions of the time. They had to become large quickly to weather the harsh winters.
Scientists are studying Yana in Russia now at the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk. This unique find presents exciting possibilities for the world at large. The scientific community anticipates more prehistoric discoveries as climate change thaws Russia’s vast permafrost.