Russians find preserved woolly mammoth carcass

In this image made available on Thursday from Rossiya television a mammoth carcass lies in snow on the Arctic Lyakhovsky Island, Russia. Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal. The frozen remains of a female mammoth were so well preserved that blood came running out after it was recovered from ice.

MOSCOW — Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal.

They say the frozen remains of a female mammoth were so well-preserved that blood was found in ice cavities when they were broken up.

Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the Mammoth Museum who led the expedition, said Thursday the carcass was preserved because its lower part was stuck in pure ice. He said the find could provide scientific material for cloning a mammoth.

Wooly mammoths are thought to have died out about 10,000 years ago. Scientists have deciphered much of the animals’ genetic code from their hair, and some believe it’s possible to clone them if living cells are found.