SAEDNEWS: 50,000-Year-Old Mammoth Calf Unearthed from Siberia’s ‘Gate of Hell’ Preserves Soft Tissues, Offering Rare Glimpse into Ice Age Extinction
According to the History and Culture Service of Saed News, the remains of a 50,000-year-old baby mammoth have been discovered in Siberia’s so-called “Gateway to Hell.”
Researchers have named the well-preserved infant mammoth Yana, marveling at how parts of its frozen carcass remained intact.
The newborn weighed over 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and stood 125 centimeters (4 feet) tall, with a total body length of 2 meters (6.5 feet). Scientists estimate that Yana was about one year old when she died around 50,000 years ago.
Yana is one of seven recovered mammoth specimens worldwide and has been described by researchers as the best-preserved mammoth fossil ever found.
The specimen was uncovered in the melting permafrost at the Batagaika Crater in Yakutia, eastern Russia.
Known as the “Gateway to Hell,” this one-kilometer-deep crater has previously revealed fossilized remains of other ancient animals, including wild Bactrian camels and horses.
Yana will be studied by scientists from the North-Eastern Federal University, which houses a dedicated mammoth research center and museum.
