Russian scientists said that in terms of its state of preservation' Lyuba is the world's most valuable discovery with its eyes and trunk almost intact, and its skin even retaining some fur. The calf has no defects except for a missing tail and right ear lobe.
"A container with the discovery will first be sent to Moscow, but its final point of destination is Tokyo, where experts from the Institute for High Dimensional Medical Imaging at Jikei University's School of Medicine will carry out a three-dimensional computer scan," the source said.
Russian scientists designed a unique casket to transport the freeze-dried body, as the temperature needs to be maintained at -18 degrees Centigrade (32 degree Fahrenheit). The mammoth will be wrapped in an airproof plastic bag to avoid any damage during transportation.
The 50-kg (110 lb) carcass of the one year-old female woolly calf, measuring 130 cm (4.3 feet) from the base of its trunk to tail and 85 cm high (2.7 feet) was found on May, 25, near the Yuribei river in Russia's Arctic Yamal peninsula. Lyuba was named after the wife of Yury Khudi, a reindeer breeder, who came across the freeze-dried body next to an eroded riverbank partially visible.
Mammoths, large mammals known for their furry coats, long tusks and massive bulk, are said to have appeared some 4.8 million years ago. While most mammoths died out approximately 12,000 years ago, a dwarf version - woolly mammoth - survived on Russia's Wrangel Island, located in the Arctic Ocean, up until 1700 BC. The best-preserved mammoth remains are found all across Siberia.
