"Mammoths" from Alaska turned out to be whales

Fossils, which for more than seven decades were thought to be the remains of mammoths, actually belong to two ancient whales. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks after re-analysing the museum finds.

It is about two bone fragments of the spine, stored in the funds of the Museum of the North of the University of Alaska. They were discovered back in the 1950s and classified as mammoth remains. However, as part of the Adopt-a-Mammoth programme, which allows funding for the study of individual exhibits, the scientists decided to carry out radiocarbon dating.

The results surprised the researchers: the age of the bones ranged from 1,854 to 2,731 years. This contradicted the generally accepted data - mammoths became extinct about 13,000 years ago. If the findings really belonged to these animals, it would mean a radical revision of the history of their extinction.

To get to the bottom of this, a team led by Professor Matthew Wooller carried out further analysis.

An isotopic study showed that the chemical composition of the bones was more consistent with marine animals than land animals. Subsequent DNA analysis finally put everything in place: the "mammoths" turned out to be minke whales and North Pacific right whales.

After adjusting the radiocarbon dating for marine origins, the whales were found to be approximately 1,100 and 1,800 years old.

The fossils were found in the House Creek area near Fairbanks - about 400 kilometres from the nearest coast. How the marine animals could have travelled so far inland remains a mystery.

Scientists are considering several theories:

• the whales could have swum up the Yukon and Tanana rivers (although this is unlikely for a smooth whale);

• the bones could have been carried by people from the coast and used for subsistence purposes;

• the simplest explanation is a documentation error made in the initial recording of the find in the mid-20th century.

Although the sensation with "the youngest mammoths in the world" did not happen, the researchers emphasise the value of working with museum collections.

As the authors of the study note, such projects often lead to unexpected discoveries and show that even long-studied exhibits can hide new scientific surprises.