Researchers recently discovered a mammoth fossil estimated to be 200,000 years old buried in the Cotswolds hills in Swindon, England. This discovery has surprised archaeologists and paleontologists alike. The reason is, the remains of the bones of these five ancient elephants were found along with the equipment used by Neanderthals, and is thought to be the weapon used to hunt them. The fossil from the mammoth consists of one baby mammoth, two juvenile mammoths, and two adult mammoths that are predicted to be has been dead since the ice age. For mammoth remains found include tusks, leg bones, ribs, and spine belonging to the Steppe mammoth species, a group whose descendants include woolly mammoths. Researchers say, although the Steppe mammoth has a height of up to 4 meters, the mammoth those buried are smaller.
“This is the largest mammoth species that has ever existed. By the time they died, their weight had dropped to 10 tons. We think it's an adaptation to changes in the environment, climate and resource availability," said evolutionary biologist Professor Ben Garrod.
He further said that colder climate change and hunting led to the mammoth species becoming smaller or shrinking. The excavation also revealed further evidence of Neanderthal activity at the site, including stone tools that would have been used to clean fresh animal skins. In addition, the researchers found fossils of other ice age animals such as the wings of the smooth beetle, deer with 10 feet long antlers, to freshwater snails.
"This is one of the most important discoveries in British paleontology," Garrod said.
DigVentures researcher Lisa Westcott Wilkins said experts were very excited about the discovery of the mammoth remains which were in excellent condition and well preserved.
"Finding mammoth bones is always amazing, to find (mammoth) so old and so well preserved, and found close to Neanderthal stone tools is incredible," Wilkins said.
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