The world has a fascination with the creatures of the past we have not been privileged enough to see, such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, the saber-toothed tiger, and the mammoth. These extinct animals once roamed the earth and we only have scribbled cave drawings, textbooks, and computer animation bringing such fantasies to life. But what if there was an opportunity to see such creatures up close and personal? This article briefly sheds light on the possibilities.
Past accomplishments in science give hope to those who wish to see the mammoth walk the earth once again. For instance, scientists in Japan have successfully cloned mice that had been frozen for 16 years. Additionally, their cells had burst and the bodies were not as well preserved as other specimens found around the world have been. Some researchers feel that with the aid of nuclear transfer techniques, the resurrection of animals of the past (like mammoths) could be possible.
Over the years, researchers have been waiting for glimmers of hope that allude to a breakthrough. Let’s take the recent strides made in decoding the genetics of an extinct cave bear. The partial decoding of the mammoth genome has also been in the works. Breakthroughs of recent have heightened the interest and hope that recreating hybrid creatures that have been extinct for many years can become a reality.
Hopefully, a restoration of large tracts of wetlands and forest in northern Siberia will mirror the terrain that thrived more than 10,000 years ago. Pleistocene Park aims to produce the dry landscape of the past. They believe that bringing in the herbivores and predators may transform the ecological and biological state of the region and recreate a region of the past.
Who knows what may take place in the future, but it is known that scientists have already recovered tissue from the giant beast of a million years ago , the T Rex. Interested in learning more about the mammoth? Consider the following facts concerning this large beast of the past.
· For starters, a mammoth is any species belonging to the extinct genus Mammuthus. Also members of the elephant family, this hairy creature is a close relative of the elephants we see today.
· Long tusks that curve upwards is a distinct feature of the mammoth.
· Northern species of the mammoth possess long hair covering their body.
· Mammoths lived in the Pliocene epoch, roaming the earth from 4.8 million years ago to about 4,500 years ago.
· The last species of the genus to live was the woolly mammoth with large populations positioned in North America and Eurasia. The majority of their populations died by the end of the last Ice Age.
· Surviving until 1,650 BC, the dwarf mammoths of Wrangel Island lived in Russian territory. Their survival was prolonged by the fact that the island was rather remote and did not have anyone living there at the time. They survived throughout the early Holocene period.
· Mammoth meat was a staple of the Homo erectus that lived 1.8 million years ago.
· Examples of mammoth species includes Mammuthus africanavus (African mammoth); Mammuthus columbi (Columbian mammoth); Mammuthus exilis (Pygmy mammoth); Mammuthus imperator (Imperial mammoth); Mammuthus jeffersonii (Jeffersonian mammoth); Mammuthus trogontherii (Steppe mammoth); Mammuthus meridionalis (Southern mammoth); Mammuthus subplanifrons (South African mammoth); Mammuthus primigenius (Woolly mammoth); Mammuthus lamarmorae (Sardinian dwarf mammoth); and Mammuthus sungari (Songhua River mammoth).