Zhenya Salinder was out walking his dogs in Sopochnaya Karga, Siberia when he came upon the 1,100 lb animal.

It took five days for researchers to unearth the mammoth, which they say was in excellent condition. Scientists estimate it was 16 years old when it died, was about 6 1/2 feet tall, and was probably killed by Ice Age humans or another mammoth.

Scientists had to dig the creature out using pickaxes, shovels and an permafrost-melting “steamer”, then spent a week cleaning and thawing it.

Scientists named the mammoth Zhenya after its discoverer. It’s a great find for paleontologists, though a bit of a disappointment for Salinder’s dogs still drooling over the treasure-trove bones.

Photo: wallygrom/Flickr