Woolly mammoth skeleton realises record $640,000

An enormous woolly mammoth skeleton made $640,000 in an auction in Lyon, France over the weekend.

The mammoth stands at just over 11 feet in height, making it the largest on the private market, and is around 80% complete.

mammoth auction record

The woolly mammoth roamed Europe, Asia and North America until around 10,000 years ago

We’ve seen an increase in the number of mammoth bones coming to auction in the past few years. 

David Gelsthorp, curator of Earth Sciences at the Manchester Museum, told the BBC: "The permafrost in Siberia particularly is melting at a very rapid rate because of climate change.

"So not only are we getting these incredible skeletons coming out, but also pretty much as they died as well. We're getting things like fur, the skin, the muscles, the organs - and even the last meal."

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