Posted on 06/21/2004 5:37:15 PM PDT by blam
Stone Age elephant remains found
The skeleton was found at the site of a new station
Construction work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) in Kent has unearthed the 400,000-year-old remains of an elephant. The skeleton was found on the site of the new Ebbsfleet station, an area thought to be an early Stone Age site.
Bones from other large animals, including rhinoceros, buffalo and wild horses, have also been found nearby.
The remains were preserved in muddy sediment near what was once the edge of a small lake, a spokesman said.
The elephant, which has been identified as a straight-tusked Palaeoloxodon antiquus, would have been twice the size of the largest modern African elephant.
The skeleton was also found with a number of flint tools surrounding it, indicating that it was probably slaughtered by humans.
Flint tools
Dr Francis Wenban-Smith of the University of Southampton, who made the discovery, said: "Only a handful of other elephant remains have been found in Britain and none of these give any indication of human exploitation.
"It is hard to imagine early humans successfully hunting a healthy specimen, but if it was already trapped in the bog, it could have been killed by early humans with wooden spears and then butchered for its meat with flint tools."
We thought we had found everything but it seems the best has been saved for last
Helen Glass
The archaeological investigation is being carried out by Oxford Archaeology, on behalf of CTRL project managers Rail Link Engineering (RLE) and its client Union Railways.
Helen Glass of RLE said: "During pre-construction investigations across the Ebbsfleet Valley we found an Anglo-Saxon mill, as well as the remains of a Roman town and villa complex.
"We thought we had found everything, but it seems the best has been saved for last."
GGG Ping.
I hope PETA doesn't get wind of this.
So9
Homo sapiens are not older than 150,000 years.
400,000 years. The last wooly mammoth died 4000 years ago although there were reports of wooly mammoths in Canada 400 years ago. Mammoth bones are found here at gold mines.
Wouldn't this shoot down "Out of Africa"?
|
Non-knuckle walkers came out of Africa.
What is very mysterious is the many species of hominids found everywhere but in North or South America. Was there simultaneous development in many locations?
Neither science nor religion will ever fathom it. It's unknowable. The development of species seems to ANTICIPATE survival development, not use "natural selection". Uncanny.
"Do not ask from where the flowers come. The god of spring himself does not know the answer."
Slain by humans? Surely this is the fault of that warmonger Bush. /sarcasm
Elephants and rhinos in England. Rather warm wasn't it and carbon dioxide was much lower.
So warmer climate with less CO2 compared to colder climate and more CO2 today. Not much correlation is there?
Reminds of the tourist in Africa who came upon a pygmy next to a dead elephant.
"Did you kill this elephant?" she asked.
"Sure did", said the pygmy, "With my club."
"A club!", the tourist exclaimed, "Just how big IS your club?"
"Oh we have about sixty members."
Stone Age elephant remains found.
Is Fransico Franco still dead?
paleontology
..... Slain By HumansThe beginnings of Global Warming. :^O
hehe!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
