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Morphology of a mammoth calf (Mammuthus primigenius) from Ol’chan (Oimiakon, Yakutia)

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Abstract

A partial corpse of a woolly mammoth calf (M. primigenius) found in 2004 in the Ol’chan mine (Oimiakon, Yakutia) is described. Based on DP3 and body size, the calf is considered to be 14–16 months of individual age. The specimen provides new data on the skeletal morphology and biological features of the woolly mammoth. The formation of mammoth skeleton, ossification of epiphyses, apophyses, and morphology of soft tissues are described for the first time based on multisection spiral X-ray computer tomography and virtual autopsy. Selective deposition of fat in the area of the withers and dorsal regions of the cervical constriction is established with certainty. The calf apparently died because of a deep cranial trauma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 123, Moscow, 117997, Russia

    E. N. Maschenko

  2. Institute of Diamond and Noble Metals Geology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Lenina 39, Yakutsk, 677891, Russia

    G. G. Boeskorov

  3. National Center of Medicine, Ministry of Health, Republic Sakha (Yakutia), Russia

    V. A. Baranov

Authors
  1. E. N. Maschenko
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  2. G. G. Boeskorov
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  3. V. A. Baranov
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Correspondence to E. N. Maschenko.

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Original Russian Text © E.N. Maschenko, G.G. Boeskorov, V.A. Baranov, 2013, published in Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal, 2013, No. 4, pp. 74–88.

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Maschenko, E.N., Boeskorov, G.G. & Baranov, V.A. Morphology of a mammoth calf (Mammuthus primigenius) from Ol’chan (Oimiakon, Yakutia). Paleontol. J. 47, 425–438 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031030113040096

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