Lyuba is the most complete mammoth ever to have been uncovered, she was discovered in 2007
The world's most complete preserved mammoth will go on display at the Natural History Museum next month.
The baby mammoth, discovered in Siberia in 2007, will be the centrepiece of a special three-month exhibition at the London museum. It will be the first time is has been shown in Western Europe.
The female mammoth is a little larger than a dog and is thought to have died 42,000 years ago when it was only one month old.
The remains were found by reindeer Yuri Khudi and his sons, left, while they were gathering firewood. It was then sent to the Shemanovsky Musuem, right, in Russia, which is now Lyuba's permanent home
The body was preserved when it sank into mud which later froze, it has been buried for 40,000 years
It was found by Siberia's Yuribei river, several mammoth remains have been unearthed in the area
The discovery in 2007 caused excitement in the scientific community because of Lyuba's completeness
The discovery by Lyuba Yuri Khudi and his sons, one of whom is pictured, was a complete accident
Experts believe that its body was buried in wet clay and mud which then froze, preserving it until she was found by reindeer herder Yuri Khudi and his sons while they were searching for firewood along the banks of the Yuribei river.
The mammoth has been nicknamed Lyuba - after Mr Khudi's wife, whose name is Russian for 'love' - and is one of a number of the animals to have been found close to the north-west Siberian river in recent years.
The mammoth is 130 centimeters long by 80 centimetres wide, similar in size to a large dog
After being discovered, it was examined by scientists at Russia's Shemanovsky Museum, pictured
Lyuba has previously been displayed in Russia, Hong Kong and Chicago but this will be the first time in Western Europe
Until recently, Lyuba was held by the Shemanovsky Museum in Russia - and has previously been part of exhibitions in Chicago and Hong Kong - but will go on display to the British public on May 23.
Professor Adrian Lister, a mammoth researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: 'It's an honour to be showcasing the world's best preserved mammoth for the first time in western Europe.
'Lyuba is hugely important for helping us to understand the lives of ice age animals. This exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet this amazing creature from more than 40,000 years ago.'
Visitors to the Mammoths: Ice Age Giants exhibition, which runs until September 7, will be able to explore the life of a mammoth.
Culled from DAILY MAIL
No comments:
Post a Comment