The carcass of an amazingly well-preserved woolly mammoth has been discovered. It’s believed the beast was butchered by humans around 10,000 years ago.

According to Discovery News the juvenile, nicknamed “Yuka,” was found buried in Siberian ice near the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

Much of the carcass’ flesh and woolly coat is still intact – and wounds on the body suggest both lions and humans may have been involved in killing the ancient beast. A mammoth expert, Daniel Fisher, professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Michigan, told the BBC “Already there is dramatic evidence of a life-and-death struggle between Yuka and some top predator, probably a lion.”

“Even more interesting, there are hints that humans may have taken over the kill at an early stage,” he said.

According to the BBC, analysis of the mammoth’s teeth and tusks have pinned Yuka’s age at about two and a half years old when it died.

For more Information

- Image of the Woolly Mammoth – Courtesy of F Latreille/Mammuthus/MCE
- Woolly mammoth carcass may have been cut into by humans – BBC (watch)