Mummified baby mammoth found by Canadian miners

MUMMIFIED BABY MAMMOTH FOUND BY CANADIAN MINERS

The immaculately preserved specimen is “one of the most incredible mummified Ice Age animals ever discovered”

For palaeontologists this is better than striking gold: miners working to excavate permafrost in the Yukon in northwestern Canada have unearthed a frozen baby mammoth. Geologists from the Yukon Geological Survey and the University of Calgary say the animal, which has been named Nun cho ga – ‘big baby animal’ in the language of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the First Nations people who live in the region – is female and more than 30,000 years old.

Many Ice Age fossils have been found in the Yukon, but mummified remains with intact skin and hair, as seen on Nun cho ga, are very rare.

In fact, she is the best-preserved woolly mammoth ever found in North America. She was discovered by miners working in the Klondike gold fields on Canada’s northwest coast, an area that played a key role in the gold rush of the 1890s.

“It has been one of my lifelong dreams to come face-to-face with a real woolly mammoth. That dream came true today,” said Yukon government palaeontologist Dr Grant Zazula. “Nun cho ga is beautiful, and one of the most incredible mummified Ice Age animals ever discovered in the world. I am excited to get to know her more.”

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in elders and the government will now work together to preserve and study Nun cho ga.

“This is a remarkable recovery for our First Nation, and we look forward to collaborating with the Yukon government on moving forward with these remains in a way that honours our traditions, culture and laws,” said Chief Roberta Joseph.

“We are thankful for the elders who have guided us so far and the name they provided. We are committed to respectfully handling Nun cho ga as she has chosen now to reveal herself to all of us.”