Mini woolly mammoth found perfectly preserved under Siberian ice after 20,000 years

 

Scientists believe that this is an entirely new species of mammoth whose existence has not been proven until now.

Dwarf mammoth

Academy of Sciences of the Sakha RepublicThe pygmy mammoth was found fully preserved, buried under ice on Kotelny Island in an Arctic region of Russia.

Scientists have discovered relics of Mammuthus exilisor what they call a “golden mammoth,” named after the color of its reddish-blond hair. The discovery of the carcass proves the existence of a miniature or “dwarf” species of woolly mammoth, something that had never been observed before by scientists.

The remains of this “golden mammoth” measured about two meters (or about six and a half feet) in height, which is extremely small compared to a typical woolly mammoth which averaged three meters (or about ten feet) in height.

The mammoth was discovered on Kotelny Island in the Siberian region of Russia. Scientists had previously heard of smaller mammoths in this area, but the discovery of this carcass confirmed their existence.

Dr. Albert Protopopov of the Yakut Academy of Sciences said that scientists “have received reports of the discovery of small mammoths in this particular area, both adults and babies. But we have never encountered a carcass. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to study it.”

Kotelny IslandKotelny Island

Academy of Sciences of the Sakha RepublicDr. Protopopov works on Kotelny Island.

Scientists have yet to determine whether the animal’s discovery is a unique case or whether the mini-wooly mammoths were specific to the region where the carcass was found.

Bones of what scientists believe to be pygmy-sized woolly mammoths have been discovered in the Arctic region of Russia, but Dr Protopopov believes this “golden mammoth” is an entirely new species of pygmy mammoth. He believes this species once lived on Earth and was not a rare breed, but an evolutionary adaptation specific to the place where it was discovered.

Dr Protopopov was joined by a team of “paleontologists, archaeologists, zoologists, botanists, entomologists and permafrost experts” on the expedition to Kotelny Island where the “golden mammoth” was discovered.

He said Siberian Time“I think this mammoth is related to the peak period of the species, which is believed to be the Karginsky interglacial period (50,000 to 22,000 years ago). Our theory is that during this period, mammoths increased significantly in number, which led to the greatest diversity of their forms. So we want to test this theory.”

The location where this new species of woolly mammoth was discovered makes the discovery all the more interesting. Kotelny Island, like much of Russia’s Siberian Arctic region, is completely frozen in winter, including the sea.

Kotelny IslandKotelny Island

TASSTASS via Getty ImagesAn Arctic expedition undertaken by the Russian Defense Ministry to Kotelny Island.

The mammoth was found in what Dr Protopopov describes as “an inaccessible location, and it is almost entirely buried in the ground in a tidal area”, making the discovery particularly remarkable.

Europe has had one of the hottest summers on record, and the extreme temperatures may have allowed the ice to melt enough to make this discovery possible. It’s a discovery that has scientists very excited, and it’s quite possible that they’re responsible for it thanks to the unusually warm summer season in 2018.

Excavations of the “Golden Mammoth” are expected to begin in the summer of 2019, and it is likely that scientists will be able to find other animals as well preserved under the ice as this latest discovery.

Next, learn the story of this pig-like frog species. Then, find out how scientists are trying to bring back the extinct Tasmanian tiger.