Russian Kid Follows His Nose to a Perfectly Preserved Mammoth Penis

Would you believe me if I said Lynyrd Skynard's song "That Smell" is actually based on a Russian children's folk song about archaeological finds? You shouldn't, but the smell of ancient animal remains is apparently so distinct, an 11-year-old boy in Russia just found what might be the most perfectly preserved mammoth ever.

Zhenya Salinder was walking his dogs near his home in Siberia when an overpowering odor lead him to the grave of a 30,000-year old mammoth that's very much intact—it included a skeleton, ears, a tusk, and wait for it... a five foot long penis. Even better than the 10,000 year old mammoth found earlier this year.

The mammoth is over six feet high, weighed around half a ton, and was likely 16 when it croaked. The St. Petersburg Zoology Institute excavated the beast, and is now en route to Moscow, where it will be studied more closely. Oh, that study might include the possibility of cloning the mammoth, and his giant dong! [BBC News, The Telegraph via PopSci]