Canada’s baby mammoth will help piece together a piece of the history of life on Earth

now cho go, were baby mammoth Woolen recently found in gold deposits, in Yukon, Canada, the most complete find in North America, is of interest for its state of preservation; In contrast to bones, this allows direct conclusions, confirmed the researcher from the Institute of Geology. UNAM, Victor Adrian Perez Crespo,

The finds from Alaska and northern Siberia have something in common: the conditions in which these animals lived – they were and are very cold regions – have made their preservation very important, and we can find tissues, flesh and vice versa. What’s happening is Mexico,” he argued, where only bones are routinely discovered.

Although this isn’t the first complete specimen rescued by paleontologists – another well-preserved specimen was found in Russia in 2007 – Canada has a high conservation status.

The molecule type can be analyzed; That means sequencing their DNA, in addition to knowing what they ate or what plant species existed on the tundra 11,000 years ago, some probably extinct, and learning more about their distribution. Or studies to understand how trunks, the mammalian order to which elephants belong, evolved.

However, he clarified that DNA is a delicate molecule and it would be difficult to “revive” the species; In addition, we have to consider the ethical aspect and ask ourselves how practical it would be to keep an animal in an environment where the environment is completely different from that of the Pleistocene.

Victor Adrian Perez said the discovery will help us better understand this particular species, but also a “photo” from thousands of years ago that will help reconstruct part of the history of life on Earth.

survived for a while

The expert explained that contrary to popular belief, the mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) has never lived in Mexico. It was a species adapted to the cold conditions of the tundra and for this reason had an abundant coat of hair that allowed it to protect itself from extreme cold, not to mention that its hypodermis was a thick layer of hair and fat , the fur resembles that of a polar bear to conserve heat. He used to feed on the leaves of huge grass and bush. Its distribution “We will find it in Europe, northern Asia and Canada, Alaska and even the northern part of the United States.”

In addition, it was an animal with a height of 2.5 to 3 meters, smaller than the Colombian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), a species that lived in our area, reaching a height of 4 to 4.5 meters. The last specimens of the woolly mammoth disappeared about five thousand years ago; There were still some in ancient Egyptian times. And relatively recent remains, six thousand or seven thousand years old, have been found on some islands in Russia and Alaska, suggesting that it did not disappear at the end of the Pleistocene but survived for some time.

The reasons for its extinction are unknown. In this regard, the scientist explained that there are some hypotheses, and the first suggests that this is due to climate change, the temperature fluctuations recorded at the time, and, moreover, the extinction of other species.

Another mentions that this was due to human direct action: they were hunted to eat meat, their skin was used for clothing, and their bones were used to make tools. “Excessive hunting can drive them to extinction,” explains Perez Crespo.

Similarly, some suggestions suggest that diseases affecting mammoths and other species were spread by deliberate or accidental movement of animals to locations other than their range. Finally, the probable cause is a meteorite or comet impact 11,000 years ago; But nobody really knows for sure.

promising findings

At the university, he said, the remains of mammoths and other Pleistocene species are studied to determine the environment in which they were deposited and ultimately whether modifications were made to their remains by humans; That is, how did they speak?

Also, the eating habits of animals are worked out by dentistry at micro and macro level (since some herbivores eat grass, leaves, fruits and this serves to precisely determine their diet); Also biogeochemical analyses. In the same way, it’s about determining whether they moved like elephants, Perez Crespo said.

The UNAM Institute of Geology protects the National Collection of Paleontology, whose pieces come from collections conducted by university researchers. But its academics also participate in projects such as in the prehistoric and paleolithic environments of the northwestern basin of Mexico, including the sites of Santa Lucia and Tultepec, where dozens of mammoths have been found, their time and preservation for anthropology and the national Institute are responsible for history.

In them “it is very promising that biomolecules will be found; we will await some results on this,” said the scientist involved in the project.