The recent analysis of fossilized bones, once thought to belong to woolly mammoths, has revealed a surprising truth. After 70 years in storage at the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North, the bones have been identified as belonging to marine whales instead.
Museum’s ‘Mammoth’ Bones Identified as Whales
The discovery traces back to 1951, when archaeologist Otto Geist unearthed two epiphyseal plates in the Beringia region, north of Fairbanks, Alaska. These bones were initially thought to belong to the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) due to their size and location. The Late Pleistocene era is known for significant megafauna remains, making this identification plausible.
Radiocarbon Dating Challenges Assumptions
After decades of being archived, the museum utilized its ‘Adopt-a-Mammoth’ program to conduct radiocarbon dating on the bones. The unexpected results suggested an age of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 years, indicating they were much younger than the extinction timeline of woolly mammoths, which is estimated to be around 13,000 years ago.
Isotope Analysis Reveals Marine Origins
Researchers, led by biogeochemist Matthew Wooller, found chemical markers in the bones that contradicted their mammoth identification. The bones exhibited high levels of nitrogen-15 and carbon-13 isotopes, typically found in marine environments rather than in terrestrial herbivores like mammoths.
DNA Testing Confirms Species Misidentification
Physical examination alone could not resolve the uncertainty surrounding the bones’ origins. The researchers obtained mitochondrial DNA from the specimens and compared it with known whale species such as the Northern Pacific Right whale (Eubalaena japonica) and the Common Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). These analyses conclusively indicated that the remains belonged to whales rather than mammoths.
Mystifying Location of the Bones
This revelation raises further questions about how these whale remains ended up over 400 km (250 miles) inland from the coast. Possible explanations include:
- Inland whale incursions through ancient waterways.
- Transportation by ancient humans, although there is little evidence for this in interior Alaska.
- Potential laboratory errors, including misidentification of specimens collected by Geist.
While the exact circumstances may never be fully understood, the study has significant implications regarding the last known mammoths and the flora and fauna of ancient Alaska. The findings were published in the Journal of Quaternary Science, bringing together various scientific disciplines to shed light on this fascinating discovery.
