50,000-year-old baby mammoth Yana discovered in Siberian permafrost

A remarkably well-preserved baby mammoth, estimated to be 50,000 years old, has been unearthed in Russia’s Yakutia region.

Named "Yana" after the nearby Yana River, the find is among the most intact prehistoric specimens discovered in the region’s thawing permafrost.

Researchers at North-Eastern Federal University, where Yana’s remains are being studied, report that this is one of only seven fully preserved mammoth carcasses ever found globally.

Yana was discovered in the Batagaika crater, a massive and ever-growing depression in Siberia’s Verkhoyansky district, exacerbated by climate change.

The baby mammoth, weighing over 240 pounds and measuring roughly four feet long, is believed to have died at around one year old. Remarkably, its head and trunk remain in excellent condition - an uncommon occurrence, as these parts are typically scavenged shortly after exposure. Maxim Cherpasov, Head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory in Yakutsk, called the preservation of these features an "exceptional find."

Siberia’s permafrost has been revealing a trove of prehistoric remains in recent years due to rising global temperatures. The Batagaika research station, near Yana's discovery site, has also uncovered remains of a horse, a bison, and a lemming. This follows other notable finds in Yakutia, including a 32,000-year-old sabre-toothed cat cub and a 44,000-year-old wolf carcass earlier this year.

Anatoly Nikolayev, Rector of North-Eastern Federal University, highlighted the importance of Yana’s preservation, stating it provides extraordinary opportunities for research. Scientists are now conducting tests to uncover details about the mammoth’s life, environment, and the conditions that led to its remarkable state of preservation.