A perfectly preserved 42,000-year-old baby mammoth unveiled at the Natural History Museum in London
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, May 20, 2014, 5:54 PM - Following months of anticipation, Lyuba the perfectly preserved 42,000-year-old baby mammoth, has arrived at the Natural History Museum in London.
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"After a week on the road, Lyuba, the most complete woolly mammoth ever found, has finished the long journey to the Museum from northern Russia. It is the first time she has been seen in Western Europe," the museum says. "She is currently being installed in the Mammoths: Ice Age Giants exhibition, alongside models of her huge relatives."
NEWS: Emotional welcome for 'beautiful' mammoth Lyuba https://t.co/xrr4zw6z27 < Prof Adrian Lister on the unveiling pic.twitter.com/yN8XDWAgxn
— NaturalHistoryMuseum (@NHM_London) May 20, 2014
Museum officials say it was an "emotional welcome for the 'beautiful' mammoth" and an "incredible experience" they will never forget.
"It was an emotional experience to be face to face with a baby mammoth from the Ice Age," said museum mammoths expert Professor Adrian Lister. "I'm so thrilled that our visitors will be able to experience that, too."
Lyuba was discovered in Russia's Yamal Peninsula of Siberia in May 2007 and is similar in size to a large dog.
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Her body froze after being buried in wet clay and mud, helping to preserve it until being found by a reindeer herder who was searching for wood.
Experts say she was probably only one month old when she died and was likely in good physical condition.
Lyuba was named after the wife of the reindeer herder and is on loan from the Shemanovsky Museum in the Arctic Circle.
According to the Natural History Museum, scientists will examine her remains in the hope of discovering more about what caused the giant beasts to become extinct. "Climate change and habitat destruction are two possibilities."
Perfectly preserved 42,000-year-old baby mammoth unveiled at the Natural History Museum https://t.co/LpAb4MT1gx pic.twitter.com/4kSAa1qChm
— BBC London Newsroom (@BBCLondonNews) May 20, 2014
