title: Was Frozen Mammoth or Giant Ground Sloth Served for Dinner at The Explorers Club?
abstract: Accounts of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) preserved so well in ice that their meat is still edible have a long history of intriguing the public and influencing paleontological thought on Quaternary extinctions and climate, with some scientists resorting to catastrophism to explain the instantaneous freezing necessary to preserve edible meat. Famously, members of The Explorers Club purportedly dined on frozen mammoth from Alaska, USA, in 1951. This event, well received by the press and general public, became an enduring legend for the Club and popularized the notorious annual tradition of serving rare and exotic food at Club dinners that continues to this day. The Yale Peabody Museum holds a sample of meat preserved from the 1951 meal, interestingly labeled as a South American giant ground sloth (Megatherium), not mammoth. We sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene and studied archival material to verify its identity, which if genuine, would extend the range of Megatherium over 600% and alter our views on ground sloth evolution. Our results indicate that the meat was not mammoth or Megatherium but green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). The prehistoric dinner was likely an elaborate publicity stunt. Our study emphasizes the value of museums collecting and curating voucher specimens, particularly those used for evidence of extraordinary claims.
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.|Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors: Jessica R
authors: JR
authors: Glass
authors: Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors: Matt
authors: M
authors: Davis
authors: Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors: Timothy J
authors: TJ
authors: Walsh
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.|Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.|Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors: Eric J
authors: EJ
authors: Sargis
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.|Institute for Biospheric Studies, Molecular Systematics and Conservation Genetics Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors: Adalgisa
authors: A
authors: Caccone
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska; D000818:Animals; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D057141:Food, Preserved; D006801:Humans; D056665:Mammoths / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D008460:Meat; D010802:Phylogeny; D012896:Sloths / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D045303:Cytochromes b