What were believed to be mammoth fossils for over seven decades at the University of Alaska Museum of the North have been definitively re-identified as ancient whale bones. The two bone fragments, originally collected in the 1950s near Fairbanks, Alaska, and cataloged as mammoth remains, underwent re-analysis as part of an 'Adopt-a-Mammoth' program. Initial radiocarbon dating provided the first surprise, placing the age of the bones between 1,800 and 2,700 years old. This was significantly more recent than the generally accepted extinction timeline for mammoths, which is around 13,000 years ago, prompting scientists to question the original identification. A team led by Professor Matthew Wooller then conducted further investigations. Stable isotope analysis of nitrogen and carbon levels revealed a chemical signature consistent with marine animals rather than land-dwelling grazers like mammoths. The conclusive evidence came from DNA analysis, which unequivocally identified the bone fragments as belonging to two distinct whale species: a minke whale and a North Pacific right whale. The reclassification, detailed in a study in the Journal of Quaternary Science, resolves a long-standing mystery and showcases the power of modern scientific techniques in re-evaluating historical museum collections. A perplexing aspect of the discovery remains the location of the whale bones, found hundreds of miles inland from the nearest coast in Interior Alaska. Scientists are exploring theories ranging from ancient river travel to human transport or even a documentation error during the initial collection in the mid-20th century. This discovery does not rewrite mammoth history but adds new layers to our understanding of ancient marine life and scientific record-keeping.