Scientists believe that this is a completely new species of mammoth, the existence of which has not been proven until now.
Sakha Republic Academy of SciencesThe small mammoth was found completely preserved, buried under the ice on Kotelni Island in the Arctic zone of Russia.
Scientists have discovered relics from Mammuthus exilis, or what they call the “Golden Mammoth”, named after the color of his seemingly strawberry blonde hair. The discovery of the carcass proves the existence of a miniature or “dwarf” species of woolly mammoth – something scientists have never seen before.
The remains of this “golden mammoth” were about two meters (or about six and a half feet) tall, which is extremely small compared to a typical woolly mammoth, which was an average of three meters (or about ten feet) tall.
The mammoth was found on Kotelni Island in the Siberian region of Russia. Scientists have heard reports of smaller mammoths being found in this particular area before, but the discovery of this carcass solidified their existence.
Dr. Albert Protopopov of the Yakutia Academy of Sciences said scientists “have reports of small mammoths found in this particular area, both adults and babies. But we had never come across a carrion. This is our first chance to study it.
Sakha Republic Academy of SciencesDr. Protopopov works on Kotelni Island.
Scientists need to know more, namely whether the discovery of the animal is a one-off or whether mini woolly mammoths are specific to the region where the carcass was found.
The bones of what scientists believe were pygmy-sized woolly mammoths have been found in the Arctic region of Russia, but Dr Protopopov believes this ‘golden mammoth’ is an entirely new species of small mammoth. He believes that this species roamed the earth earlier and was not a rare breed, but an evolutionary adaptation specific to the place where it was found.
Dr. Protopopov was joined by a team of “paleontologists, archaeologists, zoologists, botanists, entomologists and permafrost experts” on this expedition to Kotelni Island, where the “golden mammoth” was discovered.
He said The Siberian Times, “I believe this mammoth is associated with the heyday of the species, which is supposed to be in the Karginsky Interglacial (between 50,000 and 22,000 years ago). Our theory is that during this period, mammoths greatly increased in number – and this led to the greatest diversity of their forms. So we want to test this theory.
The location where the new species of woolly mammoth was discovered makes this discovery even more interesting. Kotelny Island, like much of Russia’s Arctic region of Siberia, is completely frozen in winter – including the sea.
TASSTASS via Getty ImagesAn arctic expedition undertaken by the Ministry of Defense of Russia on Kotelni Island.
The mammoth was found in what Dr. Protopopov described as “an inaccessible location and is almost entirely buried in the ground in a tidal zone,” making this discovery particularly remarkable.
Europe is experiencing 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 find that has scientists extremely excited, and it’s entirely possible they have the unusually hot summer season of 2018 to thank for it.
Excavations of the Golden Mammoth are due to begin in the summer of 2019, and it is likely that scientists will be able to find more animals that were as well preserved under the ice as this latest discovery.
Then read about this kind of frog that actually looks like a pig. Then check out this story about how scientists are trying to bring the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger back to life.
