Sale NH0903 Lot 199

COMPLETE JUVENILE MAMMOTH SKELETON
Mammuthus sp.
Pleistocene
Khatanga region, Eastern Siberia, Russia
This magnificent woolly mammoth skeleton was recovered by Russian geologists in 1999, and carbon-dating results have estimated that it is around 18,000 years old. The animal, a female, is estimated to have been a juvenile about 15 years of age and belonged to a population that is known to have inhabited Eastern Siberia 20,000 to 17,000 years ago. Evidence is strong that the mammoth is a direct ancestor of the well-known and larger Mammuthus primigenius that lived in Eastern Siberia much later on, from 10,000 to 7,000 years ago.
The excellently preserved skeleton has been superbly prepared and mounted on a discrete cream-colored armature. It is large enough for a six-foot person to stand comfortably inside the rib-cage, and from such a close vantage point, one can really appreciate the terrific texture and patina of the perfectly preserved bones; although the specimen it was recovered from permafrost, however, no remains of soft tissue remain, indicating that the animal's carcass was exposed to the elements and subject to decomposition before being permanently buried in the frozen soil. The skeleton comprises: skull with upper teeth, the lower jaw, 2 tusks, 7 neck vertebrae, 23 body vertebrae, the sacrum (4 fused vertebrae), 20 tail vertebrae, 2 scapulae, the pelvis, one of the two segments of the sternum, 38 ribs, all long bones of the front legs and almost all small bones of the front feet, long bones of the hind legs and almost all small bones of the hind feet. Bones from another mammoth of the same size and comparable age were used to replace 1 body vertebra, 6 small tail vertebra, 5 ribs, 4 small bones of the left foot, 2 fingers and 4 small bones of the hind feet. Some restoration is seen on the skull, both scapula, the pelvis, and both proximal and distal ends of the large leg bones. Most impressive, of course, is the massive heavy skull, with four large grinding molars, their surface worn down to expose the rippling pattern of their lamellar structure, and the ivory turned to the warm yellow-brown of age. The massive tusks display the characteristic double curve and have been left unpolished; they retain a wonderful ridged texture shading from ivory yellow to a soft gray-green, with streaks of warm orange and red. Each measures approximately 70 inches along the outside curve, one virtually unrestored, and the whole skeleton stands 80 1/2 inches tall to the massive heavy shoulder blades.
Estimate $80,000-100,000