Palaeontology

Mammoth fossils found under street in Mexico

By T.K. Randall
June 28, 2016 ·  4 comments

Fossils tell us a lot about these prehistoric giants. Image Credit: CC BY 2.5 Public Library of Science The prehistoric specimen, which was thought to have been cut up for meat by early humans, was discovered underneath a street in the city during work to install new drains.

Fossils uncovered at the site included a skull measuring 3ft across and two perfectly preserved tusks measuring 10ft in length. The animal was believed to be around 20-25 years old when it died.The specimen is the latest in a long line of similar finds across Mexico and follows on from 2013's discovery of the most complete set of mammoth bones ever unearthed in the country.

Even though much is known about the physical characteristics of the North American mammoth, which weighed 11 tons and stood 16ft tall, it remains unclear if it possessed the same distinctive brown coat as its European cousin the wooly mammoth.

It is believed that the last mammoths on Earth died out approximately 3,600 years ago.

Source: Fox News | Comments (4)

Tags: Mammoth, Mexico