Date:

Mammoth discovery in Mexico during grave excavations

Researchers from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) have identified the remains of a mammoth in the town of Los Reyes de Juárez, Mexico.

The mammoth was uncovered in one of the towns municipal cemeteries whilst workers were preparing new graves.

- Advertisement -

Upon further inspection, biologist Iván Alarcón Durán identified that they were the bones of megafauna from the Pleistocene, with initial studies suggesting the remains are an elderly male Columbian mammoth.

The Columbian mammoth (mammuthus columbi) inhabited North America as far north as the northern United States and as far south as Costa Rica during the Pleistocene epoch. DNA studies shows that it was a hybrid species between woolly mammoths and another lineage descended from steppe mammoths, having gone extinct around 10,900 years ago.

As well as large segments of bone and a tusk, researchers recovered a fragmented skull, around 70 percent of the pelvis and several rib fragments.

The remains were buried in a strata of travertines, a sedimentary type of rock that is formed with calcium carbonates, associated with the presence of water sources such as underground lakes or rivers.

- Advertisement -

The bones were carefully removed for preservation and to prevent deterioration, where they will be cleaned and studied to determine the age and sex of the specimen.

INAH

Header Image Credit : INAH

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Hidden fortune discovered in Czech countryside

A 7-kilogram treasure hoard has been discovered by hikers on Zvičina Hill, located in Třebihošť-Mostek, Czechia.

Pre-war Jewish district uncovered in Lublin

Archaeologists from the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments have uncovered traces of Lublin’s pre-war Jewish district during construction works at Zamkowa and Podwale streets.

Ornately decorated sarcophagus unearthed in “City of Gladiators”

Excavations in Stratonikeia, located in the Yatağan district of Muğla in southwestern Türkiye, have unearthed a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus from the Roman Imperial Age.

The mystery of a 1940’s Ford Woody discovered on USS Yorktown shipwreck

During a recent expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer for the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping project, NOAA Ocean Exploration and its partners discovered a 1940s Ford Woody on the wreck of the USS Yorktown.

Roman phallus found at frontier fortress

Excavations at Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall have unearthed a miniature phallus pendant.

Ancient underground chamber discovery in Cnoc Ard

A construction project in Cnoc Ard (Knockaird) on the Isle of Lewis has revealed a stone-built underground chamber, later identified by archaeologists as a Late Iron Age souterrain.

Caral burial unearthed at Áspero: Elite woman found remarkably preserved

Archaeologists from the Caral Archaeological Zone (ZAC), led by Dr. Ruth Shady Solís from the Ministry of Culture, have discovered a well-preserved burial at the Áspero archaeological site in Barranca Province, Peru.

Mesolithic figurine found in Damjili Cave offers new clues to Neolithic transition

A stone figurine discovered in Damjili Cave, western Azerbaijan, is providing archaeologists with new insights into the cultural and symbolic transition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic in the South Caucasus.