Throughout March and April of 2008, a host of interesting creature discoveries has taken place, including another chance at researching the past of the mammoth. In this article, you will also encounter information on a pretty fascinating crocodile find.
Baby Mammoth Delivers Great News
It is rather rare when researchers have the chance to explore the insides of creatures that once roamed the earth a long time ago. However, the discovery of “Lyuba” gives scientists the opportunity to investigate photographs of the insides of a prehistoric animal known as the mammoth , courtesy of a baby specimen uncovered in the Russian Arctic , preserved in flawless condition.
Last year, a hunter located the mammoth and named the find after his wife. In February, the discovery was transported back to Russia after a stay in Japan. This is where the mammoth was being studied through computer tomography, which is quite similar to the process that doctors use to scan patients. The excitement of these actions has come because this is the first time that the internal organs of a mammoth are revealed. In the world of science, this is a pretty significant time.
A feature of the mammoth specimen is that all of the internal organs were well preserved, as scientists were able to identify and study the heart , including the atria and ventricles. The liver and its veins were also quite visible. Her skin was still intact (sans the typical shaggy coat of the mammoth), which is probably one of the reasons her internal organs stayed safe from the destruction of the microbes of today.
Since the Ice Age, the mammoth species has been extinct. Tests conducted on Lyuba show that she ate a diet of milk and died about 37,000 years ago at the age of three to four months. Her body was found in the Arctic region of what is now known as the Yamalo-Nenetsk region. It is believed that the baby mammoth died from drowning , as her airways and digestive system were clogged with what scientists believe was silt. Overall, Lyuba serves as the best mammoth specimen in preservation and also tops the list as the best find of any prehistoric animal (in terms of preservation).
Prehistoric Crocodile Found in Brazil
Brazil is the location where the fossil of a new crocodile (marine species) was uncovered, which proves that reptiles did survive the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The discovery of the fossil called “Guarinisuchus munizi” was given the nickname of “Sea Warrior” by Brazilian paleontologists.
Uncovering his remains shed light on a fresh theory that the migration of prehistoric crocodiles took place from Africa to South American, and then onto North America. The exact location of this find was in the Mina Poty region, a coastal site located in the northeastern part of Brazil.