Baby mammoth found, according to a report in BBC News, 10 July 2007. The frozen carcass of a baby mammoth has been found in north-west Siberia and has been sent to Japan for further study. Mammoths are an extinct type of elephant with long hair and long curved tusks. They are believed to have died out around 10,000 years ago. The baby mammoth is 130cm (4ft 3ins) tall, weighs 50kg and is believed to have been about six months old when it died. It is remarkably well preserved, with its trunk, eyes and some fur still intact, and some scientists are hoping that it contains preserved cells containing enough viable DNA to resurrect the species. Alexei Tikhonov, deputy director of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented: “In terms of its state of preservation, this is the world’s most valuable discovery.”
Editorial Comment: The frozen remains of many mammoths have been found buried in the northern regions of Russia for many years. Although most are not as completely intact as this specimen, they are remarkably well preserved. This means they did not get buried slowly. Snap freezing an animal the size of an elephant, even a baby one, requires a sudden catastrophic event. There is much speculation as to what event froze the mammoth, but it may be the sudden icy catastrophe alluded to when God challenged Job: “From whose womb comes the ice? ” (Job 38:29) (Ref. Mammals, extinction, ice age)
Evidence News 15th August 2007