Ruins of a primitive elephant cemetery It was revealed during the work of the new fire-fighting logistics center built by the Madrid City Council in the La Atalayuela industrial zone. Villa de Vallecas area. In particular, large fossil remains have been found. corresponds to eight partially completed copies species Gomphotherium angustidensthe one which… The jaws, teeth, femurs, humerus and hips were all recovered.
Giant tortoises are a distant ancestor of modern African elephants that lived in the region along with large carnivores and ancestors of today’s horses, deer and wild boars, the Madrid City Council reported.
A herd of elephants took shelter in this region due to the availability of food and water resources due to drought and falling temperatures about 14 million years ago. Some of the herd in question was there will die from lack of food. A great flood later covered the remains of the carcasses, allowing them to be preserved and fossilized.
This extinct species of elephant was about five meters long and three meters high and Can reach a weight of approximately 2.5 tons. It had four teeth: the upper two teeth were distinct and curved downwards, and the two lower teeth were slightly shorter. Likewise, it is estimated that its trunk was shorter than that of today’s elephants.
Prehistoric elephants in Madrid
HE Gomphotherium angustidens It lived in central and southern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, and northeastern Africa, from Tunisia to Kenya, during the early and middle Miocene period, between 16 and 5 million years ago. In the Iberian Peninsula, remains of this species have been found in nearby places such as Somosaguas and Carpetana, in Madrid or in the Zaragoza town of Villafeliche.
It should also be noted that in the period in which these animals were dated hominids hadn’t even appeared in Europe yetSomething that was not known to have happened in Atapuerca until about 1.4 million years ago.
The fossils were deposited in the Regional Archaeological Museum of the Madrid Region in Alcalá de Henares, where they will be preserved. Likewise, some specimens were loaned to the National Museum of Natural Sciences and are studied in detail there.
The excavation, in which a team of eight paleontologists and archaeologists led by Alessandro Giusto and Jorge MorÃn participated, started in March and lasted until August and covered an area of ​​approximately 800 m2.2. The study represents an important milestone not only in terms of the information obtained, but also in terms of the heritage recovered.
The fossils were placed in: Regional Archaeological Museum The Community of Madrid’s hideout in Alcalá de Henares. Likewise, some specimens were loaned to the National Museum of Natural Sciences and are studied in detail there.
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Contact address of the environmental department:krisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
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