Russian scientists have displayed the remarkably well-preserved remains of a baby mammoth found in the permafrost-covered region of Yakutia in Siberia.
The 50,000-year-old female mammoth has been nicknamed Yana after the river in whose basin it was discovered this summer. Experts say it is the best-preserved mammoth carcass in the world and is one of only seven whole remains ever found.
Studies will be carried out to work out her exact age at death, estimated at “one year old or a bit more”.
The carcass was shown at North-Eastern Federal University in the regional capital of Yakutsk, the institution said in a statement. “We were all surprised by the exceptional preservation of the mammoth,” said the university rector, Anatoly Nikolayev.
Maksim Cheprasov, a researcher, said it was a “unique discovery”.
The remains weigh 180kg (397lbs) and are 120cm (4ft) tall and 200cm long.
The carcass was dug up near the Batagaika research station where the remains of other prehistoric animals – including a horse, a bison and a lemming – have been found.
Before this discovery, only six mammoth carcasses had been found in the world – five in Russia and one in Canada, the university said.
Yakutia is a remote region bordering the Arctic Ocean. Its permafrost acts like a giant freezer that preserves the remains of prehistoric animals.