The remains of a rare Khazar mammoth were found in the Astrakhan region

The remains of a rare Khazar mammoth were found in the Astrakhan region
The remains of a rare Khazar mammoth were found in the Astrakhan region
Anonim

In the Astrakhan region in Cherny Yar, fragments of the skeleton of a Khazar mammoth, a rare animal that lived about 116,000 years ago, have been found, said Alexei Bulychev, director of the regional museum-reserve of local lore. The remains have already been delivered to the museum and will be studied.

The fossils found include fragments of an ivory, a humerus, a scapula, several cervical vertebrae and two teeth. They were washed out of the cliff after the flood water began to subside. The bones were found by local residents who reported it to the museum.

“Presumably, the age of the remains of the skeleton of an animal is from 116 to 85 thousand years. They belong to the descendant of the Khazar elephant. Perhaps it was either a female or a young individual. The find is, first of all, of interest to science, so the study of the fossils will be continued,”- Alexey Bulychev.

According to him, until now, the Khazar elephant was described only by the teeth, since it was not possible to find a more or less complete skeleton. Inspection of the site of the find of the placer of bones suggested the presence of a whole skeleton of a mammoth, now covered by talus. An expedition will be sent there in the fall.

The Khazar elephant or Khazar mammoth is an intermediate species between the southern mammoth (Mammuthus meridionalis) and the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). Scientists first described it back in the 19th century, but only in the 80s of the last century it was proved that it has the right to an independent existence.

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