video transcript

French archaeologists finished up the excavation of an impeccably preserved woolly mammoth skeleton on Thursday (November 8) at a quarry 50 km east of Paris. Scientists working at the excavation site applied a silicon cast to the mammoth remains before they will be removed it. The nearly complete mammoth skeleton, only the fifth such specimen found on French soil, is causing a stir in the archaeological community not only for its completeness -- a rare occurrence in itself -- but also for the flint spearheads found amongst the remains. The discovery will allow archaeologists and scientists to better understand early humans' relationship with the colossal mammal. Nicknamed Helmut by the excavation team, the mammoth's skeleton is estimated to date from 125,000 to 200,000 years ago.