50,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth 'Yana' Found in Batagaika Crater, Best-Preserved Ever

Dec 23, 2024, 03:27 PM

In a significant paleontological discovery, scientists in Russia's Yakutia region have unveiled the remains of a baby mammoth named 'Yana', found in the permafrost of the Batagaika crater. The mammoth, estimated to be 50,000 years old, is considered the best-preserved of its kind ever discovered. Yana, weighing 180 kg and measuring 120 cm in height and 200 cm in length, was likely around one year old at the time of death. The remains were brought to the surface using an improvised stretcher. Researchers noted that while the forelimbs had been eaten, the head and trunk were remarkably well-preserved, which is unusual as these parts are typically consumed by modern predators or birds first. The find is being studied at the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, where further tests are being conducted to confirm the exact time of Yana's death.