The little mammoth was found on the Yamal Penminsula, in the Russian Arctic in 2007 by reindeer breeder and hunter Yuri Khudi. She was named "Lyuba" after Khudi’s wife.
According to Paul Rincon's BBC News article, "Baby Mammoth Discovery Unveiled," July 10, 2007, Lyuba is 110 pounds and the size of a large dog. Her eyes, trunk, and organs are all intact. Scientists studying her remains believe Lyuba’s young life came to an abrupt end 40,000 years ago near the edge of the Yuribei River. Silt residue found in her lungs indicates she either drowned or was sucked into the soft mud and suffocated.
Lyuba was in perfect health when she died, which will help researchers immensely. Since her skin was in perfect condition, it protected all of the internal organs from the intrusion of any modern microbes or micro-organisms. She is the best preserved mammoth ever found, in better condition than Dima, a young adult male found in 1977 near Magadan in Russia.
Evidence for Extinction
In 2008, Lyuba was subjected to computer tomography scans at Jikei University School in Japan. In 2009 her teeth, bone and tissue were analyzed for further clues to her health and lifestyle. Researchers hope that by examining her teeth in particular they will be able to determine what caused the mass extinction of the mammoths and other Ice Age mammals.
According to mammoth expert Daniel Fisher of the University of Michigan, Lyuba’s intestinal tract contained milk and fecal matter. While this seems odd to most humans, it is a necessity for young herbivores even today. By introducing the mother’s feces into the calf, the calf’s stomach is able to develop microbes needed for healthy digestion.
Examining the contents of the calf’s stomach allows researchers to get a better idea of what mammoths ate and what constituted a healthy mammoth. In Tasha Eichenseher's April 10, 2009 National Geographic Newsroom online article, "Milk, Feces, Part of Calf's Diet," Fisher says, "This line of investigation is a tool by which we'll be able to solve the late Pleistocene extinction. We'll be able to distinguish between the two main competitors: climate change and hunting."
Further Paleozoological Study
Lyuba may be the key to even greater discoveries. Paleozoology experts are hoping that she will help them unlock the genetic code of many other Ice Age mammals. Alexei Tikhonov, the deputy director of the Russian Academy of Science's Zoological Institute, is very excited about the find.
In the April 10, 2008 Reuters article "'Lyuba' Gives Scientists Glimpse of Mammoth Insides," by Dmitry Solovyov, Tikhonov says, "I believe the genetic map (of the mammoth) will be decoded within a year or two. As for (Lyuba's) practical use, we will have discovered methods of decoding the genetic map of any extinct prehistoric animals," he said.
Lyuba will be permanently on display at a museum in Salekhard, Russia.
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