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'{{Short description|Female woolly mammoth calf}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox fossil |catalog number = |common name = Lyuba |image = Lyuba.jpg |species = ''[[Woolly Mammoth]]'' |age ={{circa}} 41,800 years (aged {{circa}} 1 month) |place discovered = [[Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug|Yamalo-Nenets]], [[Russia]] |date discovered =May 2007 |discovered by =Yuri Khudi }} '''Lyuba''' ({{lang-ru|Люба}}) is a female [[woolly mammoth]] calf (''Mammuthus primigenius'') who died {{circa}} 41,800 years ago<ref name="Fisher et al., 2012" /><ref name="Kosintsev et al., 2012">{{cite journal|last=Kosintsev|first=P |author2=Lapteva, E. |author3=Trofimova, S. |author4=Zanina, O. |author5=Tikhonov, A. |author6=van der Plicht, J. |title=Environmental reconstruction inferred from the intestinal contents of the Yamal baby mammoth Lyuba (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799)|journal=Quaternary International|date=March 2012|volume=255|pages=231–238|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2011.03.027|url=https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/en/publications/environmental-reconstruction-inferred-from-the-intestinal-contents-of-the-yamal-baby-mammoth-lyuba-mammuthus-primigenius-blumenbach-1799(d33d2b59-0337-4f52-a7fd-de65f1ba812f).html |bibcode=2012QuInt.255..231K |s2cid=129303118 }}</ref> at the age of 30 to 35 days.<ref name="Rountrey et al., 2012">{{cite journal|last=Rountrey|first=A.|author2=Fisher, D. |author3=Tikhonov, A. |author4=Kosintsev, P. |author5=Lazarev, P. |author6=Boeskorov, G. |author7=Buigues, B. |title=Early tooth development, gestation, and season of birth in mammoths|journal=Quaternary International|date=March 2012|volume=255|pages=196–205|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2011.06.006|bibcode=2012QuInt.255..196R}}</ref> She was formerly the best preserved mammoth mummy in the world (the distinction is now held by [[Yuka (mammoth)|Yuka]]), surpassing Dima, a male mammoth calf mummy which had previously been the best known specimen. ==Discovery== Lyuba was discovered in May 2007 by [[Nenets people|Nenets]] reindeer breeder and hunter Yuri Khudi and his three sons, in [[Russia]]'s Arctic [[Yamal Peninsula]].<ref name="Hirsch2017">{{cite book|author=Rebecca E. Hirsch|title=De-Extinction: The Science of Bringing Lost Species Back to Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o9KlDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT24|date=1 January 2017|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-1-5124-3902-1|pages=24–25}}</ref> Khudi recognized that Lyuba was a mammoth carcass and that it was an important find, but refused to touch the carcass because Nenets beliefs associated touching mammoth remains with bad omens.<ref name="NG200905icebaby">{{cite web |url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/05/mammoths/mueller-text |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419212605/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/05/mammoths/mueller-text |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2009 |title=Ice Baby |last=Mueller |first=Tom |date=May 2009 |website=nationalgeographic.com |publisher=National Geographic Society |accessdate=4 June 2014}}</ref> Khudi travelled to a small town 150 miles away to consult his friend, Kirill Serotetto, on how to proceed. They notified the local museum director about the find, who arranged the authorities to fly Serotetto and Khudi back to the location of the find on the [[Yuribey Bridge|Yuribey]] river. However, they found that Lyuba's remains had disappeared. Suspecting that profiteers may have taken the mammoth, Khudi and Serotetto drove on a snowmobile to a nearby settlement, [[Novy Port]]. There they discovered Lyuba's carcass exhibited outside a local store. It turned out that the store owner bought the body from Khudi's cousin, who removed the body from its original location, in exchange for two snowmobiles. Lyuba's body suffered minor damage in the process, with dogs having chewed off her right ear and a part of her tail, but remained largely intact. With the help of the police, Khudi and Serotetto reclaimed the body and had it transported by helicopter to the Shemanovsky Museum in [[Salekhard]]. In gratitude for Khudi's role, the museum officials named the mammoth calf "[[Lyuba (given name)|Lyuba]]", a diminutive form of the name ''Lyubov''{{'}} (Любовь, meaning "Love"), after the first name of Khudi's wife.<ref name="NG200905icebaby" /><ref name="Hirsch2017"/> ==Subsequent study== The mummified calf weighed 50&nbsp;kg (110&nbsp;lb), was 85 centimeters (33.5 in.) high and measured 130 centimeters (51 in.) from trunk to tail, roughly the same size as a large dog.<ref name='BBC-Mammoth-2007'>{{cite news | first=Paul | last=Rincon | title=Baby mammoth discovery unveiled | date=10 July 2007 | publisher=The BBC | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6284214.stm | work =news.bbc.co.uk | accessdate = 13 July 2007 }}</ref><ref name='Reuters-Mammoth-2007'>{{cite news | first=Dmitry | last=Solovyov | title=Baby mammoth find promises breakthrough | date=11 July 2007 | publisher=[[Reuters]] | url =https://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1178205120070711 | accessdate = 13 July 2007 }}</ref> Studies of her teeth indicate she was born in spring following a gestation similar in length to that of a modern elephant.<ref name="Rountrey et al., 2012" /> {{Location map|Russia|label=Lyuba|mark=Green_pog.svg|lat=68.6|long=71.7|width=230|float=right}} At the time of discovery, the calf was remarkably well-preserved; her eyes and trunk were intact and some fur remained on her body. Lyuba's organs and skin are in perfect condition.<ref name="usatoday20090421">{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/baby-mammoth-lyuba-pristinely-preserved-offers-scientists-rare-mysteries-ice-age-article-1.363916 |title=Baby mammoth Lyuba, pristinely preserved, offers scientists rare look into mysteries of Ice Age |last=Smith |first=Olivia |date=21 April 2009 |website=NYDailyNews.com |accessdate=4 June 2014}}</ref> The mammoth was transferred to [[Jikei University School of Medicine]] in [[Japan]] for further study, including [[computer tomography]] scans. Additional scans were conducted at the GE Healthcare Institute in [[Waukesha, Wisconsin]] and at the Nondestructive Evaluation Laboratory of Ford Motor Company in [[Livonia, Michigan]].<ref name="Fisher et al., 2014">{{cite journal|last=Fisher|first=D. |author2=Shirley, E. |author3=Whalen, C. |author4=Calamari, Z. |author5=Rountrey, A. |author6=Tikhonov, A. |author7=Buigues, B. |author8=Lacombat, F. |author9=Grigoriev, S. |author10=Lazarev, P. |title=X-ray computed tomography of two mammoth calf mummies|journal=Journal of Paleontology|date=2014|volume=88|issue=4|pages=664–675|doi=10.1666/13-092|bibcode=2014JPal...88..664F |s2cid=28393815 }}</ref> Lyuba is believed to have suffocated by inhaling mud as she struggled while bogged down in deep mud<ref name="Fisher et al., 2012">{{cite journal|last=Fisher|first=D. |author2=Tikhonov, A. |author3=Kosintsev, P. |author4=Rountrey, A. |author5=Buigues, B. |author6=van der Plicht, J |title=Anatomy, death, and preservation of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) calf, Yamal Peninsula, northwest Siberia|journal=Quaternary International|date=March 2012|volume=255|pages=94–105|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2011.05.040|url=https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/6776236/2012QuatIntFisher.pdf |bibcode=2012QuInt.255...94F |hdl=11370/a3961dcc-4eaf-47fb-9ad7-904d79a0f4f8 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> in the bed of a river which her herd was crossing. Following death, her body may have been colonized by lactic acid-producing bacteria, which "pickled" her,<ref name="Fisher et al., 2012" /> preserving the mammoth in a nearly pristine state. Her skin and organs are intact, and scientists were able to identify milk from her mother in her stomach, and fecal matter in her intestine.<ref name="Fisher et al., 2012" /><ref name="van Geel et al., 2011">{{cite journal|last=van Geel|first=B |author2=Fisher, D. |author3=Rountrey, A. |author4=van Arkel, J. |author5=Duivenvoorden, J. |author6=Nieman, A. |author7=van Reenen, G. |author8=Tikhonov, A. |author9=Buigues, B. |author10=Gravendeel, B |title=Palaeo-environmental and dietary analysis of intestinal contents of a mammoth calf (Yamal Peninsula, northwest Siberia)|journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|date=December 2011|volume=30|issue=27–28|pages=3935–3946|doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.10.009|bibcode=2011QSRv...30.3935V }}</ref> The fecal matter may have been eaten by Lyuba to promote development of the intestinal microbial assemblage necessary for digestion of vegetation.<ref name="Fisher et al., 2012" /> Lyuba appears to have been healthy at the time of her death. By examining Lyuba's teeth, researchers hope to gain insight into what caused Ice Age mammals, including the mammoths, to [[Quaternary extinction event|become extinct]] 4,500–4,000 years ago. CT scans taken of Lyuba have provided new information and indicate that the mammoth died when she inhaled mud and choked to death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/16/tech/innovation/baby-mammoth-3d-scanner/index.html|title=Here's what you learn when you put a baby mammoth in a 3-D scanner|last=Wired|first=Nick Stockton|website=CNN|date=16 July 2014|language=en-US|access-date=8 December 2018}}</ref> Lyuba's permanent home is the Shemanovskiy Museum and Exhibition Center in [[Salekhard]], Russia.<ref name="usatoday20100308">{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-03-08-mammoth-chicago-field-museum_N.htm |title=Ice Age baby mammoth on display in Chicago, first time ever in U.S. |last=Rousseau |first=Caryn |date=8 March 2010 |website=usatoday.com |accessdate=4 June 2014}}</ref> Lyuba was the subject of a 2009 documentary ''Waking the Baby Mammoth'' by the [[National Geographic Channel]]<ref name="usatoday20090421" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-04-20-baby-mammoth_N.htm |title='Pickled' baby mammoth opens window to Ice Age |last=Vergano |first=Dan |date=20 April 2009 |website=usatoday.com |accessdate=4 June 2014}}</ref> and of a 2011 children's book by [[Christopher P. Sloan|Christopher Sloan]], ''Baby Mammoth Mummy: Frozen in Time: A Prehistoric Animal's Journey into the 21st Century''.<ref>[[Christopher P. Sloan]], ''Baby Mammoth Mummy: Frozen in Time: A Prehistoric Animal's Journey into the 21st Century'' (2011), National Geographic kids {{ISBN|9781426308659}}</ref> ==See also== *[[Adams mammoth|Adams' Mammoth]] *[[Jarkov Mammoth]] *[[List of mammoth specimens]] *[[Sopkarga mammoth|Sopkarga Mammoth]] (Zhenya) *[[Yuka (mammoth)|Yuka Mammoth]] *[[Yukagir mammoth|Yukagir Mammoth]] ==References== {{Reflist}} * National Geographic - Baby Mammoth, Frozen in Time * [[Channel 4]] television program "''Waking the Baby Mammoth''", 9 pm to 10.35 pm, 4 December 2009, shown in England ==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090419212605/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/05/mammoths/mueller-text National Geographic article] Retrieved 24 April 2009 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090414120112/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/waking-the-baby-mammoth-3630/Overview#tab-Videos/06531_00 Waking the Baby Mammoth documentary video] Retrieved 21 April 2009 [[Category:Prehistoric elephants]] [[Category:Pleistocene proboscideans]] [[Category:Prehistory of the Arctic]] [[Category:Mummies]] [[Category:Individual proboscideans]] [[Category:Individual wild animals]] [[Category:2007 in paleontology]] [[Category:Individual animal corpses]] [[Category:Paleontology in Russia]]'