Mammoth Alert!

Yesterday I read one of the coolest articles ever and, amazingly, it had nothing to do with protesters or celebrities re-entering rehabilitation facilities. Instead, it unfolded a story about the discovery of a frozen baby mammoth in Northern Siberia. The mammoth was said to be only 6 months old when he died, but the carcass is apparently between 10,000 and 40,000 years old! Sure, discoveries like these are made quite frequently, but how often is an ancient animal found almost completely intact? Hardly ever. Apparently the the body was kept in immaculate condition due to the protective shields of permafrost. However, although the mammoth's "trunk and eyes [are] virtually intact and [there's] even some fur remaining," the mammoth was missing two things: his ear and his tail (which were most likely "bitten off" by another animal). According to scientists, this discovery will help researchers understand the climage change over the past centuries. The baby mammoth is currently being shipped over to Japan for further studies.

Picture courtesy of http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/07/frozen-baby-mammoth-headed-to-japan/

Isn't that absolutely fascinating? I always found issues like that astounding, especially when it comes to dinosaurs. Lucky for me, I'm taking a course about dinosaurs next semester (I can't wait!). Maybe one day they'll uncover the body of a dinosaur; one can only hope!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288975,00.html