The carcass of a woolly mammoth surprisingly well preserved by Yukon permafrost becomes the most complete specimen of the extinct species ever found in North America, according to the Globe and Mail.

The baby mammoth was found by gold miners Tuesday while working at Eureka Creek near Dawson City, Yukon.

Preliminary examination by experts revealed that the mammoth was a female about one year old, measuring nearly 140cm in length and living over 30,000 years ago.

"She's complete from tail to tip of her trunk, complete with eyelids, ears and toenails," raved Grant Zazula, a paleontologist with the territorial government.

For him, it is the “discovery of a lifetime”.

The animal carcass was then transported for storage in a freezer under the direction of First Nations in the traditional territory where it was found.

In a ceremony earlier this week, the mammoth was named Nun cho ga by Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin Elders, which translates to “big baby animal” in the Hän language.

“This discovery is incredible. It leaves us speechless,” said Debbie Nagano, heritage director for the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin community.