Yuka (mammoth)

Yuka
Yuka the Mammoth
SpeciesWoolly mammoth
SexFemale
Died39,000 YA
Siberia
Known forBest preserved woolly mammoth
ResidenceMoscow, Russia
Weight5 tonnes
Height3 m (9 ft 10 in)

Yuka is a mummified woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) discovered by tusk hunters in August 2010, and was turned over to local scientists, who made an initial assessment of the carcass in 2012. Yuka died about 39,000 years ago. Radiocarbon dating suggested that Yuka the mammoth is around 28,140 (±230) years old. It is considered the most intact woolly mammoth carcass.

Scientists believe its corpse froze after falling into a lake, making it remain in a frozen state for generations. Yuka's body is now used by researchers to clone and hopefully revive the woolly mammoth.

Yuka's corpse is in such good shape that much of its flesh is still intact, retaining its pink color. The blonde-red hue of Yuka's woolly coat also remains.

Image from Discovery News

Discovery

A woolly mammoth calf carcass was found along the Oyogos Yar coast of the Dmitry Laptev Strait, near the Kondratievo River, Siberia (72° 40′ 49.44″ N, 142° 50′ 38.35″) in the region of the Laptev Sea. The mammoth was nicknamed "Yuka" after the village of Yukagir, whose local people discovered it. Yuka was also near the village. After its discovery, Yuka stayed for two years in a natural refrigerator, the local permafrost at Yukagir. Yuka was originally said to be female based on a study of its external features. However, later RNA study revealed the mammoth to be a male.

Research

Age

An analysis of the teeth and tusks said Yuka was about 6–8 years old when it died. The mammoth had most likely been attacked by lions or other predators. However, evidence that the predators killed Yuka was not found.

Cells

In March 2019, a Japanese research team of scientists led by Kazuo Yamagata, a biologist at Kindai University, worked with Yuka's tissue. Yamagata's team reported that they were able to stimulate nucleus-like structures to perform biological activities and visualised their dynamics in living mouse oocytes after nuclear transfer. But this did not lead to cell division.

Brain

Yuka is also famous for its intact brain. It is the most preserved mammoth brain in the world. The preliminary description of the gyri and sulci is described and paleoneurological perspectives are observed and discussed.

Date

Radiocarbon dating gave a date of about 40,100 - 39,000 years ago for when this mammoth died.

Genetics

In 2025, RNA research was done. This is the oldest RNA ever sequenced. The scientists discovered a Y chromosome, which only males have, confirming that Yuka is male.

References

  1. ↑ Yirka, Bob (5 April 2012). "Well preserved mammoth from Siberia shows signs of early man stealing from lions". Phys.org.
  2. ↑ Aviss, Ben (4 April 2012). "Woolly mammoth carcass may have been cut into by humans". BBC Nature. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "39,000 year old mammoth goes on display in Russia". BBC News.
  4. ↑ Yamagata, Kazuo; Nagai, Kouhei; Miyamoto, Hiroshi; Anzai, Masayuki; Kato, Hiromi; Miyamoto, Kei; Kurosaka, Satoshi; Azuma, Rika; Kolodeznikov, Igor I.; Protopopov, Albert V.; Plotnikov, Valerii V.; Kobayashi, Hisato; Kawahara-Miki, Ryouka; Kono, Tomohiro; Uchida, Masao; Shibata, Yasuyuki; Handa, Tetsuya; Kimura, Hiroshi; Hosoi, Yoshihiko; Mitani, Tasuku; Matsumoto, Kazuya; Iritani, Akira (2019). "Signs of biological activities of 28,000-year-old mammoth nuclei in mouse oocytes visualized by live-cell imaging". Scientific Reports. 9 (1) 4050. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.4050Y. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40546-1. PMC 6411884. PMID 30858410.
  5. ↑ Taub, Benjamin (27 September 2024). "39,000-Year-Old Exquisitely Preserved Mammoth Is Earliest Evidence Of Humans In The Arctic". IFLScience.
  6. ↑ Viegas, Jennifer (4 April 2012). "Well-Preserved Mammoth Likely Butchered By Humans". NBC News.
  7. 1 2 3 Rudaya, Natalia; Protopopov, Albert; Trofimova, Svetlana; Plotnikov, Valery; Zhilich, Snezhana (2015). "Landscapes of the 'Yuka' mammoth habitat: A palaeobotanical approach". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 214: 1–8. Bibcode:2015RPaPa.214....1R. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2014.12.003.
  8. ↑ Daniel, Ari (2025-11-14). "Scientists pull ancient RNA from a woolly mammoth's body". NPR. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  9. 1 2 Ferreira, Becky (12 March 2019). "Scientists Reawaken Cells From a 28,000-Year-Old Mammoth". Vice.
  10. ↑ Yamagata, Kazuo; Nagai, Kouhei; Miyamoto, Hiroshi; Anzai, Masayuki; Kato, Hiromi; Miyamoto, Kei; Kurosaka, Satoshi; Azuma, Rika; Kolodeznikov, Igor I.; Protopopov, Albert V.; Plotnikov, Valerii V.; Kobayashi, Hisato; Kawahara-Miki, Ryouka; Kono, Tomohiro; Uchida, Masao; Shibata, Yasuyuki; Handa, Tetsuya; Kimura, Hiroshi; Hosoi, Yoshihiko; Mitani, Tasuku; Matsumoto, Kazuya; Iritani, Akira (2019). "Signs of biological activities of 28,000-year-old mammoth nuclei in mouse oocytes visualized by live-cell imaging". Scientific Reports. 9 (1) 4050. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.4050Y. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40546-1. PMC 6411884. PMID 30858410.
  11. ↑ Blaszczak-Boxe, Agata (7 November 2014). "Woolly Mammoth Mummy Yields Well-Preserved Brain". Live Science.
  12. ↑ Kharlamova, A. S.; Pavlov, I. S.; Saveliev, S. V. (2021). "Unique 39 Thousand Cal. BP Brain of the "Yuka" Mammoth Mummified Fossils: A History and Methods of the Examination: Paleoneurological Perspectives". Paleontological Journal. 55 (11): 1260–1269. Bibcode:2021PalJ...55.1260K. doi:10.1134/S0031030121110034.
  13. ↑ Maschenko, E. N.; Potapova, O. R.; Heintzman, P. D.; Kapp, J. D.; Shapiro, B.; Protopopov, A. V.; Boeskorov, G. G.; Pavlov, I. S.; Plotnikov, V. V.; Kolesov, S. D.; Klimovskiy, A. I. (2021-12-01). "Morphology, Individual Age, DNA and Sex of the Yuka Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) from Northern Yakutia, Russia". Paleontological Journal. 55 (11): 1230–1259. Bibcode:2021PalJ...55.1230M. doi:10.1134/S003103012111006X. ISSN 1555-6174.
  14. ↑ Hunt, Katie (2025-11-15). "Oldest sequenced RNA reveals details about a mammoth's final moments 40,000 years ago". CNN. Retrieved 2025-11-15.