Life in the Fast Lane

Welcome back!

2 colossal sized tusks of a prehistoric mastodon that roamed Europe more than 2 million years ago — which could be the largest of their kind ever found — have been unearthed by researchers in northern Greece.

Photo University of Thessalonki. 2 massive tusks and bone remains from a mastodon are seen in the excavated sandpit at the village of Milia Greece on Sunday, July 22, 2007

The remains of the mastodon — an ancestor of the elephant — were found in an area about 250 miles north of Athens where excavations have uncovered several prehistoric animals over the past decade. The mastodon was similar to the woolly mammoth but had straighter tusks, dissimilar teeth, and eating habits.

One tusk measured 16 feet 4 inches long and the other was more than 15 feet long. They were found along with the animal’s upper and lower jaws still bearing teeth, and leg bones, said Evangelia Tsoukala, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Thessaloniki, who led the team that excavated the site, reports Yahoo News.

Photo – University of Thessaloniki, Evangelia Tsoukala, assistant professor of geology at the University of Thessaloniki, right, sits with fellow researchers beside two large tusks and bone remains from a mastodon are seen in picture in an excavated sandpit, at the village of Milia Greece on Sunday, July 22, 2007.

“To find a tusk 5 meters (16.4 feet) long, that was a big surprise,” Tsoukala told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the site late Wednesday.

“It’s a very significant find because with these sections of the skeleton we can draw conclusions about this animal and its development.” she added. “We are also looking for clues about its extinction.”

Museum of Natural History Rotterdam, depicts an impression by Dutch artist Remie Bakker, based on Greek fossil evidence of a prehistoric mastodon

Mastodons wandered Europe, Asia and North America, but cause of their extinction remains a mystery. They’re thought to have perished in Europe and Asia 2 million years ago, but survived in North America until 10,000 years ago.

Tsoukala said the male animal discovered in Greece lived about 2.5 million years ago. “This animal was in its prime. It was 25 to 30 years old; they lived until about 55. It was about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) tall at the shoulder, and weighed around six tons.” Tsoukala said.

Dutch researcher Dick Mol, who assisted with the excavation, said plant material found near the tusks would be analyzed to try to determine the environment the animal lived in. He said the skeleton could also provide information.

Photo University of Thessalonki. Dutch researcher Dick Mol examines the jaws of the prehistoric mastodon on Tuesday, July 24, 2007. (Imagine the dentists that would love to get their hands on THAT mouth.)

“It’s really a gold mine.” said Mol, a research associate at the Museum of Natural History in Rotterdam. “These are the best preserved skeletons in the world of this species.”

Dave Martill, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth in England, said scientists can analyze the growth rings in the tusks to learn more about the world’s climate at the time the mastodon lived.

“These animals, in their bones, hold a whole load of information about the environment at the time — not just the animal.” said Martill, an independent expert not connected with the excavation.

The bones will be scoured for possibilities of finding DNA material. If DNA is recovered from the animal — which Mol acknowledges is “very doubtful” — it could allow researchers to compare it to other European and American mastodon fossils at an unprecedented level of detail. Studies could additionally provide insight into how the primitive elephant became extinct.

The tusks were discovered by an excavation machine operator working at the sand quarry in October, but it took months for the scientific investigation to be organized.

Tsoukala, who has been conducting excavations in the region since 1990, found a mastodon tusk measuring more than 14 feet long in the same area 10 years ago. She said the latest discovery is more significant because the skeletal remains are more complete.

Woolly mammoth skeleton. Photo AFP – Jack Guez

Researchers from Germany and the United States recently analyzed genetic material from an American mastodon recovered from fossils up to 130,000 years old found in Alaska, providing clearer insight into the evolution of elephants.

Related stories:
Thousands of Dinosaur Footprints Preserved by Laser Technology
Museum Says Dinosaurs Were On Noah’s Ark
Creation Museum Update – Dinosaurs Were On Noah’s Ark

Random Posts

• lg Nobel Award Hamster Viagra Cure for Jet Lag
• Bionic Arm – Breaking Technology
• Mind-blowing Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman Horse Whisperer
• Cows Get Mattresses to Aide Sleep
• First Baby Born from Lab Grown Eggs
• Eclyse the Zorse and Infamous Pet Peeps
• Crocodiles have Built-in Navigation Defying Relocation
• Amazing Stone Henge-Hog Discovery at Stonehenge
• Two Amazing New Species of Flying Lemurs Discovered
• Cat with 2 Heads 2 Brains and 18 Lives