This study presents the results of an examination of the mummified brain of a pleistocene woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) recovered from the Yakutian permafrost in Siberia, Russia. This unique specimen (from 39,440–38,850 years BP) provides the rare opportunity to compare the brain morphology of this extinct species with a related extant species, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). An anatomical description of the preserved brain of the woolly mammoth is provided, along with a series of quantitative analyses of various brain structures.

The vegetation, widespread during the life of a young female mammoth “Yuka”, about 34300 yr ago (GrA-53289) was reconstructed as a complex of phytocenoses confined to coastal water and floodplain habitats.

Monsieur Pak dans la grotte avec le mammouth Yuka

In August 2010, a well-preserved Mammuthus primigenius carcass was found along the coast of Oyogos Yar in theregion of the Laptev Sea and the mummy was nicknamed ‘Yuka’.