An almost perfectly preserved frozen mammoth, excavated from the permafrost in eastern Siberia, was unveiled to the media Tuesday in Yokohama, where it will be on display from Saturday.
The 3-meter-tall mammoth is a 10-year-old female and is presumed to have died about 39,000 years ago. The frozen carcass, named "Yuka" after Russia's Sakha (Yakutia) Republic where it was discovered, is believed to be one of the world's largest.
Excavated in 2010, Yuka has a long trunk, arms and legs preserved in almost perfect condition. Since then, the carcass was conserved and studied by researchers at an institute in Russia.
The mammoth was shipped in a special container from Vladivostok to Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, and was transported by land to Yokohama. The carcass will be shown to the public for the first time during an exhibition at Pacifico Yokohama from Saturday to Sept. 16, organizers said.
During the exhibition, about 100 samples of other extinct species, including similar species of rhinoceros that lived around the same time as mammoths, will be also displayed. Visitors will be allowed to touch the body of the woolly mammoth.
"It's a priceless opportunity to see the whole carcass of a mammoth," said an official of the organizer. "I hope many people will come to see it."
An exhibition featuring a frozen mammoth was also held at the EXPO 2005 in Aichi Prefecture. However, only parts of the carcass were displayed.