CITY GUIDE >Culture and Events
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CITY GUIDE >Culture and Events
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A mammoth show
By Cheng Anqi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-31 09:07 The $600 million animated Ice Age franchise kicked off a woolly mammoth craze among children six years ago. It seemed every kid wanted a little toy mammoth to cuddle and admire. But why settle for a toy when you can see the real thing? Two mammoths are attracting plenty of attention at the Beijing Museum of Natural History.
Unearthed in Sakha, in the cold northeastern part of Russia, the remains of these two grand mammals are making their debut in mainland China. Discovered in 2002 by local hunters, they were the first mammoths ever to be found preserved perfectly in their frozen state for the last 1.8 million years. Yukagir, an adult male, was about 40 years old and Oymiakon, the female young mammoth, was just over one year old. Visitors can get a nice close-up view of these Ice Age creatures; they are kept in a glass exhibition case where the temperature is maintained at minus 15 degrees Celsius. From only 30 cm away, you can clearly see Yukagir's blond hair and 3.1m long tusks that weigh 219.5 kg. When first uncovered, his head and one of his front legs were in excellent condition. Oymiakon was fully intact when discovered and her eyes and ears are clearly visible. |
