Million-year-old mammoth found
2009-06-03 17:12
Belgrade - A million-year-old mammoth skeleton was found near an archaeological site at Viminacijum in eastern Serbia, media reports said on Wednesday.
It was probably the oldest species of mammoth found in Europe, said Miomir Korac, head of the Viminacijum archaeological site.
The animal was estimated to have been over 4m tall and weighed around 10 tons, he added.
The skeleton was well preserved, and the archaeologist believe the animal came from northern Africa and died on its way to southern Europe.
"He belongs to the oldest species of European mammoths, and it is very rare to discover a complete mammoth. That speaks of its value," Korac said.
Also found in Serbia have been mammoth fossil remains near the northern town of Kikinda. That mammoth, named Kika, is a tourist attraction and reckoned to be half a million years old.
- SAPA