(Lima) The fossilized remains of three mastodons more than 11,000 years old have been discovered in the central Andean region of Junin, Peru, researchers announced Friday.
“The remains of three well-preserved mastodons dating from the Pleistocene have been discovered,” Ivan Meza, a paleontologist from the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET), told AFP.
The discovery took place a few weeks ago in a wilderness area in the Chambara district of Junin, some 290 kilometers east of the capital Lima. Excavations began in 2019.
“This is a unique discovery in Peru. It could be a megafauna site with remains of other animals from the Pleistocene,” a period that began 2.6 million years ago and ended 11,700 years ago, a explained the academic.
Mastodons, cousins of mammoths and elephants, could measure up to three meters high.
Among the remains, tusks, femurs, tibias, fibulas (fibulas), ribs, ulnas and teeth were found.
Mastodons came from North America when the Isthmus of Panama closed about three to four million years ago and the Great Inter-American Faunal Exchange took place, populating South America.