The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia
This paper reports the results of an in-depth analysis of the frozen remains of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) named Zhenya, which has been dated to 48,000 cal BP. The carcass, found near the mouth of the Yenisey River in eastern Siberia, was a juvenile male whose ontogenetic age at death...
Published in: | Quaternary International |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2017
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11370/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/53466635/The_Zhenya_Mammoth_Mammuthus_primigenius.pdf http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017QuInt.445.104M |
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openpolar |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Groningen research database |
op_collection_id |
ftunigroningenpu |
language |
English |
topic |
SITE RADIOCARBON BROWN ADIPOSE-TISSUE ELEPHANT LOXODONTA-AFRICANA WOOLLY MAMMOTH NORTHWEST SIBERIA SEXUAL-DIMORPHISM YAMAL PENINSULA ARCTIC SIBERIA GROWTH |
spellingShingle |
SITE RADIOCARBON BROWN ADIPOSE-TISSUE ELEPHANT LOXODONTA-AFRICANA WOOLLY MAMMOTH NORTHWEST SIBERIA SEXUAL-DIMORPHISM YAMAL PENINSULA ARCTIC SIBERIA GROWTH Maschenko, Evgeny N. Potapova, Olga R. Vershinina, Alisa Shapiro, Beth Streletskaya, Irina D. Vasiliev, Alexander A. Oblogov, Gleb E. Kharlamova, Anastasia S. Potapov, Eugene van der Plicht, J. Tikhonov, Alexey N. Serdyuk, Natalia V. Tarasenko, Konstantin K. The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia |
topic_facet |
SITE RADIOCARBON BROWN ADIPOSE-TISSUE ELEPHANT LOXODONTA-AFRICANA WOOLLY MAMMOTH NORTHWEST SIBERIA SEXUAL-DIMORPHISM YAMAL PENINSULA ARCTIC SIBERIA GROWTH |
description |
This paper reports the results of an in-depth analysis of the frozen remains of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) named Zhenya, which has been dated to 48,000 cal BP. The carcass, found near the mouth of the Yenisey River in eastern Siberia, was a juvenile male whose ontogenetic age at death was 8-10 AEY. Its reconstructed live height at the shoulders (pSH 227.4 cm) was the equal of some adult female woolly mammoths and extant elephants. The large stature and a flaked off tusk tip that matches breaks on tusks of male African elephants are indirect indications that this mammoth most likely had reached sexual maturity, had been expelled from its maternal herd, and had been in at least one fight with another male. The mammoth's bones were relatively healthy, although some had minor lesions. Rudimentary upper second molars (M2/m2) were present, but no lower second molars were found in the alveoli, and the left tusk had never developed. Despite the abnormal development of the upper and lower second molars, the cheek teeth which were in wear (Dp4/dp4 and M1/m1) showed normal function without any indications of developmental delay. The completed growth of the light-colored dentin bands on the tusk strongly suggests the Fall of the year was the season of death. This season is also supported by accumulated fat in the upper parts of the torso, indicative of physiological preparation for the winter ahead. The few minor traces of carnivore scavenging, the little disturbed condition of the carcass, and the absence of bone modifications made by human actions, along with the social status of this young male animal, are interpreted here as highly probable evidence that the Zhenya Mammoth died from unrecoverable injuries inflicted during a bull-to-bull fight. The mineralogical analysis of site sediments revealed that the mammoth's burial in situ took place in the Yenisey River valley seasonally inundated by the river, which together with Fall's freezing temperatures protected the carcass from scavengers. An analysis of ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Maschenko, Evgeny N. Potapova, Olga R. Vershinina, Alisa Shapiro, Beth Streletskaya, Irina D. Vasiliev, Alexander A. Oblogov, Gleb E. Kharlamova, Anastasia S. Potapov, Eugene van der Plicht, J. Tikhonov, Alexey N. Serdyuk, Natalia V. Tarasenko, Konstantin K. |
author_facet |
Maschenko, Evgeny N. Potapova, Olga R. Vershinina, Alisa Shapiro, Beth Streletskaya, Irina D. Vasiliev, Alexander A. Oblogov, Gleb E. Kharlamova, Anastasia S. Potapov, Eugene van der Plicht, J. Tikhonov, Alexey N. Serdyuk, Natalia V. Tarasenko, Konstantin K. |
author_sort |
Maschenko, Evgeny N. |
title |
The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia |
title_short |
The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia |
title_full |
The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia |
title_fullStr |
The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia |
title_sort |
zhenya mammoth ( mammuthus primigenius (blum.)): taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient dna of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western taimyr, russia |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11370/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/53466635/The_Zhenya_Mammoth_Mammuthus_primigenius.pdf http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017QuInt.445.104M |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-168.250,-168.250,-84.867,-84.867) ENVELOPE(69.873,69.873,70.816,70.816) ENVELOPE(82.680,82.680,71.828,71.828) |
geographic |
Arctic The Tusk Yamal Peninsula Yenisey |
geographic_facet |
Arctic The Tusk Yamal Peninsula Yenisey |
genre |
Arctic Taimyr Yamal Peninsula yenisey river Siberia |
genre_facet |
Arctic Taimyr Yamal Peninsula yenisey river Siberia |
op_source |
Maschenko , E N , Potapova , O R , Vershinina , A , Shapiro , B , Streletskaya , I D , Vasiliev , A A , Oblogov , G E , Kharlamova , A S , Potapov , E , van der Plicht , J , Tikhonov , A N , Serdyuk , N V & Tarasenko , K K 2017 , ' The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia ' , Quaternary International , vol. 445 , pp. 104-134 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 |
op_relation |
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 |
container_title |
Quaternary International |
container_volume |
445 |
container_start_page |
104 |
op_container_end_page |
134 |
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1800747391191613440 |
spelling |
ftunigroningenpu:oai:pure.rug.nl:publications/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 2024-06-02T08:02:56+00:00 The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia Maschenko, Evgeny N. Potapova, Olga R. Vershinina, Alisa Shapiro, Beth Streletskaya, Irina D. Vasiliev, Alexander A. Oblogov, Gleb E. Kharlamova, Anastasia S. Potapov, Eugene van der Plicht, J. Tikhonov, Alexey N. Serdyuk, Natalia V. Tarasenko, Konstantin K. 2017-07-01 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/11370/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/53466635/The_Zhenya_Mammoth_Mammuthus_primigenius.pdf http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017QuInt.445.104M eng eng https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/51a6a114-b1b5-436d-810b-a832575c1c91 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Maschenko , E N , Potapova , O R , Vershinina , A , Shapiro , B , Streletskaya , I D , Vasiliev , A A , Oblogov , G E , Kharlamova , A S , Potapov , E , van der Plicht , J , Tikhonov , A N , Serdyuk , N V & Tarasenko , K K 2017 , ' The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia ' , Quaternary International , vol. 445 , pp. 104-134 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 SITE RADIOCARBON BROWN ADIPOSE-TISSUE ELEPHANT LOXODONTA-AFRICANA WOOLLY MAMMOTH NORTHWEST SIBERIA SEXUAL-DIMORPHISM YAMAL PENINSULA ARCTIC SIBERIA GROWTH article 2017 ftunigroningenpu https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.055 2024-05-07T20:14:36Z This paper reports the results of an in-depth analysis of the frozen remains of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) named Zhenya, which has been dated to 48,000 cal BP. The carcass, found near the mouth of the Yenisey River in eastern Siberia, was a juvenile male whose ontogenetic age at death was 8-10 AEY. Its reconstructed live height at the shoulders (pSH 227.4 cm) was the equal of some adult female woolly mammoths and extant elephants. The large stature and a flaked off tusk tip that matches breaks on tusks of male African elephants are indirect indications that this mammoth most likely had reached sexual maturity, had been expelled from its maternal herd, and had been in at least one fight with another male. The mammoth's bones were relatively healthy, although some had minor lesions. Rudimentary upper second molars (M2/m2) were present, but no lower second molars were found in the alveoli, and the left tusk had never developed. Despite the abnormal development of the upper and lower second molars, the cheek teeth which were in wear (Dp4/dp4 and M1/m1) showed normal function without any indications of developmental delay. The completed growth of the light-colored dentin bands on the tusk strongly suggests the Fall of the year was the season of death. This season is also supported by accumulated fat in the upper parts of the torso, indicative of physiological preparation for the winter ahead. The few minor traces of carnivore scavenging, the little disturbed condition of the carcass, and the absence of bone modifications made by human actions, along with the social status of this young male animal, are interpreted here as highly probable evidence that the Zhenya Mammoth died from unrecoverable injuries inflicted during a bull-to-bull fight. The mineralogical analysis of site sediments revealed that the mammoth's burial in situ took place in the Yenisey River valley seasonally inundated by the river, which together with Fall's freezing temperatures protected the carcass from scavengers. An analysis of ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Taimyr Yamal Peninsula yenisey river Siberia University of Groningen research database Arctic The Tusk ENVELOPE(-168.250,-168.250,-84.867,-84.867) Yamal Peninsula ENVELOPE(69.873,69.873,70.816,70.816) Yenisey ENVELOPE(82.680,82.680,71.828,71.828) Quaternary International 445 104 134 |