Discovered in 2007 by a reindeer herder in the Siberian permafrost of the remote Yamal Peninsula, the mummified fossil of a one-month-old mammoth is more than 42,000 years old.
Hundreds of species of megafauna -- giant animals such as mammoths -- became extinct in the late Quarternary period of earth's history. However, there is scientific debate as to whether migrating humans, climate change -- or both -- contributed to the widespread decline of these species.
Even though mammoths disappeared from the face of the earth tens of thousands of years ago, they are very much alive in the popular imagination, as well as in the scientific community. Recently, two scientists from South Korea and Russia vowed to clone a wooly mammoth.
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There's an island in Hudson Bay that has the remains of miniature elephants. Apparently, they are not babies, they are actually miniature adults. The elephants got stuck on the island when the Ice Age ended, and in order to survive nature downsized them over time.
msiletta: There's an island in Hudson Bay that has the remains
It was Wrangel Island, up noth alright, but NOT in Hudson Bay, it's on the Siberian side of the hemisphere. It was featured on Nova many years ago. Thanks for the correction, Penetang
msiletta: It was Wrangel Island, up noth alright, but NOT in
I'am still amazed by this, that ice has a way to preserve flesh from prehistoric animals like mammoths, unlike mummified dinosaurs like the hadrosaurs, but this is a window to the past.
cagog: I'am still amazed by this, that ice has a way
What has me puzzled is there is no hair? From all the shows I have seen the mammoths found in Siberia had hair. Where's the hair? Just saw a show that the reporter from the travel channel went to Siberia and was given the opportunity to go into the natural deep freeze where the scientists keep their discoveries. This was supposed to be a young mammoth and she got to touch the yellow-red hair.
I too agree with one of the posters - all these finds are remarkable. Many years ago I visited the mammoth finds at Hot Springs, South Dakota. Awesome. By now they must have the museum built and bones on display from all the animals that died in the sink hole that they were found in.
domode6: What has me puzzled is there is no hair? From
Well, no wonder the poor thing died; it froze to death without a warm coat. I know that elephants have an innate ability to not walk on their little babies. So, do we look at that fact and figure the new-born mammoth's stay under mom or auntie until it gets a hairy coat???
domode6: Well, no wonder the poor thing died; it froze to
bringing back prehistoric creatures worries me A. have you seen Jurassic Park? it's really a very realistic outcome if such a thing occurred and B. the creatures died out for a reason - they could no longer survive on this planet.
humans have devastated the ecosystem by transporting species to non-native places.
assuming the creatures survived upon cloning, can you imagine what havoc that would wreak on the current ecosystem?
Even17: bringing back prehistoric creatures worries me A. have you seen
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The Huffington Post | By Andres Jauregui Posted: 04/10/2012 2:07 pm