Archaeologist Otto Geist discovered bones believed to be from a\nmammoth in 1951. However, the analysis was only proven wrong 70 years\nlater.<\/p>\n
Geist found them during an expedition in inland Alaska, a prehistoric\ngeographical region known as Beringia.<\/p>\n
Based on their appearance and location, Geist initially concluded the\nbones belonged to a woolly mammoth. This seemed plausible given the\ndiscovery site and spinal structure resembling elephant bones.<\/p>\n
The bones were later housed at the University of Alaska\u2019s Museum of\nthe North. It was only decades later, after the museum conducted\nradiocarbon dating, that the true identity was revealed.<\/p>\n
Analysis showed carbon isotopes in the bones dated back 2,000-3,000\nyears, meaning the animal lived more recently than mammoths, which went\nextinct 13,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
Further testing revealed higher levels of nitrogen-15 and carbon-13\nisotopes compared to grass-eating animals like woolly mammoths.<\/p>\n
While the findings do not rule out a land-based origin, the isotope\nlevels are typically found in marine animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our first indication that the specimen originated from a\nmarine environment,\u201d said University of Alaska Fairbanks biogeochemist\nMathhews Wooler and his team, cited from Science Alert on Friday, 29 May\n2026.<\/p>\n
The most likely explanation is that the bones came from a whale.<\/p>\n
Researchers then extracted mitochondrial DNA for comparison with\nNorth Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) and common minke whale\n(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) DNA.<\/p>\n
The team also uncovered another mystery: how whale remains over 1,000\nyears old ended up over 400km from the nearest coastline in inland\nAlaska.<\/p>\n
One possibility is that whales intruded inland via ancient bays and\nrivers, though this is unlikely given the species\u2019 size and the small\nwater bodies in the area.<\/p>\n
Another theory is that ancient humans transported the bones from the\ncoast. Researchers also acknowledged the possibility of scientific\nerror.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mistaken-for-elephant-whale-identified-70-years-later-1780064951", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }