Young mammoth remains discovered in Siberian permafrost after roughly 50,000 years

Researchers in Siberia are currently conducting tests on a juvenile mammoth whose incredibly well-preserved remains were found in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years. The discovery of this creature, which resembles a small elephant with a trunk, was made in the Batagaika crater, a massive depression over 80 meters deep that is expanding due to climate change.

The carcass, weighing over 110 kilograms, was carefully brought to the surface on a makeshift stretcher by a team led by Maxim Cherpasov, the head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory in Yakutsk. Cherpasov mentioned that the mammoth was likely just a little over a year old when it passed away, but further tests will help confirm this age more accurately. The remarkable preservation of the head and trunk of the mammoth was noted as particularly unusual.

“As a rule, the part that thaws out first, especially the trunk, is often eaten by modern predators or birds. Here, for example, even though the forelimbs have already been eaten, the head is remarkably well preserved,” Cherpasov explained to Reuters.

This recent discovery adds to a series of remarkable finds in the Russian permafrost. Just last month, scientists in the same region of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, unveiled the 32,000-year-old remains of a tiny saber-toothed cat cub. Earlier this year, a 44,000-year-old wolf carcass was also uncovered in the same area.

The ongoing research and testing on this juvenile mammoth will provide valuable insights into the life and environment of these ancient creatures. The integration of this unique discovery into the scientific community will further enhance our understanding of prehistoric life and the impact of climate change on these fascinating remnants of the past.