Russian mammoth could yield prehistoric clues

30 December, 2007, 16:54

The carcass of a 37 thousand-year-old baby mammoth found in Russia is to be examined by scientists. The frozen remains, which weighed 50kg, were discovered in the Yamalo-Nenets region in the Urals in May. They've been flown to Tokyo for further tests.

Specialists say ‘Lyuba’, the name given to the baby-mammoth, is extremely precious since it is the first one ever found intact and undamaged.

The body of the animal, which died aged when just six months old, was well preserved with its trunk, eyes and some of its fur still in good condition.

Researchers are hoping tests will reveal the internal structure of mammoths, which have some resemblance to modern-day elephants.