One young animal that died in its first winter was discovered in the permafrost of an Alaskan gold mine. Recreated here are the best-mummified remains of this animal ever found in North America. It’s a baby woolly mammoth. And from its size we know it was less than a year old. But did it starve to death or was it taken by a predator?

 

Perhaps young elephants provide some clues. They stick close to their mother’s side for more than a year. And they also have backup, a family group of very protective adults. Even lions will think twice about approaching adult elephants. And with the baby so well guarded, they rarely get a chance to strike. 

 

Starvation during its first bitter winter is more likely to have killed our baby mammoth. Perhaps its mother could not provide enough warm milk. 

 

Only part of the body remains. The hind quarters were eaten. There were plenty of scavengers around 14,000 years ago. There were foxes, wolves and grizzly bears.