A frozen island in the Laptev Sea holds secrets of the prehistoric mammoth

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Maly Lyakhovsky Island, a remote Russian outpost, is more than a desolate tundra. Beneath its surface of mosses and lichens lies a geological record spanning millions of years. In 2013, researchers unearthed a remarkably preserved mammoth carcass there, potentially unlocking the mysteries of ancient biology and the possibility of cloning.

Located in the Laptev Sea, Maly Lyakhovsky Island is the second largest of the Lyakhovsky Islands within the New Siberian Islands archipelago. Spanning 975.5 square kilometers, the island is characterized by a harsh, low-growing tundra landscape of grasses, rushes, and liverworts. Its geological foundation is equally stark, composed of Upper Jurassic to lower Cretaceous turbidites—sandstones, argillites, and shales—deformed into expansive folds. These ancient rocks are blanketed by a veneer of Pliocene to Pleistocene sediments, which are deeply affected by thick permafrost and massive ice wedges.

The island gained international attention in May 2013 when an expedition from the North-Eastern Federal University discovered the remains of a 10,000-year-old female mammoth. The find was extraordinary because researchers reported discovering liquid blood within ice cavities beneath the animal's belly, even while ambient temperatures hovered between −7 and −10 degrees Celsius. This discovery prompted speculation regarding the cryoprotective properties of mammoth blood, offering a rare window into the physiological adaptations of these extinct giants.

Following the excavation, the remains were transported to Yakutsk in the Sakha Republic for extensive analysis. Scientists initiated a joint project between the North-Eastern Federal University and the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation to examine the tissues and explore the feasibility of cloning a mammoth. While the island's history of human exploration dates back to 1770, when Ivan Lyakhov and Zaitai Protodyakonov first arrived, it remains a site of significant scientific interest today. By studying the fossilized marine mollusks and lignitized wood found in the island's coastal sediments, researchers continue to piece together the environmental history of the East Siberian Arctic.

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