12,000 Year-old Intact Giant Mammoth Uncovered Near Mexico City

Mexican archaeologists associated with the country’s National Institute of Anthrolopology and History have uncovered the intact skeleton remains of a giant mammoth.

The discovery was made near Mexico City in the town of Santa Ana Tlacotenco. The giant mammoth, which is nearly uncovered, is thought to have existed some 10,000-to-14,000 thousand years ago. This mammoth is estimated to have weighted 10 tons and be 17 feet tall.

Photo: Giant Mammoth, Mexico City, McClathchy

The skeleton was found in what was once a ditch; it is believed the mammoth fell in after experiencing a volcanic eruption. Mexican experts do not believe their find is the fabled woolly mammoth but rather a ‘Mammuthus columbi’. The ‘mammuthus’ is an extinct species of elephants that lived in Texas and Mexico where they were very common thousands of years ago.

The skeletal remains have stayed in tact in great part to the mammoth being buried in hot ash until its discovery in March.

Last year the well-preserved skeletal remains of a mammoth that lived between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago were discovered in the central Mexican state of Queretaro.

Source: Latino Daily News

Preserved Mammoth Discovered in Paris

French archaeologists have uncovered a rare, near-complete skeleton of a mammoth in the countryside near Paris, alongside tiny fragments of flint tools suggesting the carcass may have been cut into by prehistoric hunters.

The archaeologists say that if that hypothesis is confirmed, their find would be the clearest ever evidence of interaction between mammoths and ancient cavemen in this part of Europe.

“Evidence this clear has never been found before, at least in France,” said Gregory Bayle, chief archaeologist at the site.

“We’re working on the theory that Neanderthal men came across the carcass and cut off bits of meat.”
Archaeologists came across the giant bones by accident while they were excavating ancient Roman remains in a quarry near the town of Changis-sur-Marne, 30 km east of Paris.

The mammoth, which the archaeologists have named “Helmut,” is thought to be between 100,000 and 200,000 years old and is only the fourth near-complete specimen to be found in France.

Scientists believe Helmut, a woolly mammoth, may have become stuck in mud or drowned.

Two tiny shards of flint found among the bones indicate that cavemen cut into the body, but make it unlikely they actually killed the creature. To come to that conclusion, the archaeologists would have expected to find a whole flint head.

Mammoth remains are commonest in the frozen climates of Siberia, where around 140 specimens have been found including some of the world’s best-preserved carcasses.

The prehistoric animal disappeared from Western Europe around 10,000 years ago, most likely due to climate change and hunting.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News