Rare southern mammoth remains found in Russia

The rare remains of a prehistoric species of southern mammoth, whose giant tusks stretched more than a metre long, have been uncovered in southern Russia, news agency Itar-Tass reported.

Southern mammoth tusk fragment [Credit: Viktor Kotlyarov]

It is the eighth known find of a full skeleton of the gargantuan mammal - which stood at an estimated height of 4 metres (13.12 feet). Four have been found in Russia.

The mammoth was discovered when a cliff collapsed in the mountainous province of Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia's North Caucasus. Palaeontologists said the remote area is so full of the bones of prehistoric beasts that local highlanders have been collecting them for years.