Giant elephant skull found in the Himalayas leaves scientists perplexed
The IndependentThe best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A giant fossil skull found in India’s Kashmir valley decades ago belongs to an unknown “straight-tusked” extinct elephant species, scientists say. “But the lack of a well-developed skull crest, particularly in comparison with other mature male skulls from Europe and India, tells us we have a different species on our hands here.” Elephant translocation begins in central Kenya to ease conflict with humans The discovery may help resolve another mystery about the elephant family tree. Researchers say the Kashmir elephant’s skull features seem similar to a rare skull unearthed in Turkmenistan in the 1950s which too lacks a prominent crest at the skull roof despite its other features being “highly similar” to already known European species. Prof Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser stands next to life-size reconstruction of the adult European straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus Analysis of the 87 stone tools found buried alongside the elephant remains shows that the Kashmir skull dates to the Middle Pleistocene period 300,000–400,000 years ago, putting it in a similar timeline to the Turkmenistan fossil.