Mammoths were once plentiful, but finding a full skeleton nowadays is a pretty rare occurrence. Participants of a recent auction in southern England had the opportunity to bid on one that was pretty close.

Mammoths were once plentiful, but finding a full skeleton nowadays is a pretty rare occurrence.

Participants of a recent auction in southern England had the opportunity to bid on one that was pretty close. The once-woolly beast went to the person who placed the top offer of 300 thousand dollars.

Summers Place Auctions noted that 90 percent of the skeleton’s bones were original, requiring minimal use of artificial fill-ins.

Among its authentic parts were both tusks, adding to its rarity and appeal.

A spokesperson for the auction house explained, "The woolly mammoth co-existed with early humans, who hunted them for food and used its bones and tusks for making art, which also explains why complete skeletons are so rare."

The one being sold had been in the possession of a private collection for decades, but wasn’t assembled.

Workers at Summers Place Auctions labored prior to the event to ensure that the mammoth was fully articulated before going under the hammer.

Once construction was complete, the fossil measured 18 feet in length and 11-and-a-half feet in height.

In its lifetime, it’s estimated that the furry giant weighed somewhere around 6 tons.