Goatherd discovers millennia-old mammoth fossil in central Turkey

A goatherd notified authorities after discovering gigantic bones, believed to be from a three-to-six-millennia-old mammoth, while herding his goats on a field in Turkey's central Kayseri province.

Murat Adıyaman, who lives near the Yamula Dam located in the Kocasinan district, said that he thought the bones could be beneficial for the country and decided to reach out to experts.

Authorities from the Museums Directorate took samples of the fossils and sent photos of the fossils to the Gazi University.

Prof. Osman Özsoy, the Kayseri representative of the Environment and Culture Protection Foundation (ÇEKÜL), said that he also shared images of the discovered fossils with several paleontologists.

Paleontologists told Prof. Özsoy that the fossils likely belong to a mammoth or elephant, but the professor said the fossils need to be analyzed before making a conclusion.

He said that the recent discovery is important because fossils of a nine-millennia-old giraffe were discovered in the same province a year earlier.

Özsoy also added that previous discoveries of fossils, like this recent discovery, were made when the water levels near the dam recede and said that protective excavation should be initiated before the rise in water levels.