Most Complete Skull of a Mammoth Found in the Netherlands

This is a complete skull of an adult female woolly mammoth. In 1968 it was dredged up from the river IJssel near Olburgen, which is close to Dieren in the province of Gelderland. Mammoth skulls are very fragile, being big and lightly built. This means that the skull has a large surface for the attachment of neck muscles, but it is still light. However, the lightly built and protruding parts are easily broken by the dredging equipment or heavy chains which hang in front of the nets of the trawlers. Perfectly preserved mammoth skulls are therefore a rare find, which makes the mammoth skull fished out of the IJssel so unique. This is one of the most beautiful skulls in the world.