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Remains of extinct elephant discovered in northern Greece
Jul 24, 2007, 8:23 GMT
Athens - Greek palaeontologists have discovered the tusks and fossilized remains of a 3-million-year-old mastodon, or extinct elephant, in northern Greece, reports said Tuesday.
The tusks of the mammal weigh a ton each and are 5 metres in length, the longest ever found, according to a report published in the Greek daily Kathimerini newspaper.
Experts believe the mammal to have been a male aged around 25, measuring 3.5 metres tall and weighing over 6 tons.
'This is a rare and unique find for Greece and is useful for studies of the period,' said Evangelia Tsoukala, the head of the team of Greek and Dutch experts who have been working in the Grevena region in northern Greece for the past 10 years.
The team of experts also uncovered thigh bones and teeth believed to have belonged to the same animal.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Mike CJul 24th, 2007 - 22:13:25
What a great find! Congrats to the scientists, every week we are getting a piece of the puzzle for proboscideans. Good work!
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