A second elephant fossil unearthed in SW China

These are big times for China's southwestern province of Yunnan. Recently in Zhaotong City of south west China's Yunnan Province, archaeologists were able to find another elephant fossil.

Palaeontologists excavating the fossilised tusk of a 
prehistoric elephant [Credit: CCTV]

The elephant whose fossilized skeleton was discovered by the palaeontologists is believed to have lived six million years ago.

According to experts, the fossils are extremely rare and valuable, as most prehistoric skeletons have disintegrated in the warm and humid weather over the long course of history.

"What we have here is a well-preserved fossilized skeleton of a stegodon. Compared to the last one we found in 2007, this one is more complete which is really rare in southern China," said Ji Xueping, Director of Yunnan Archaeological Institute.

Yunnan is one of the places where some of the world's earliest elephants originated.

The discovery of the skeleton is expected to provide new clues to some unsolved mysteries.

Ji Xueping also said:"We're still carrying out the digging and the research. It could help us understand more about the origin and evolution of the stegodon, climatic changes in the region, and the possible settlement of the region by early man.

Source: CCTV [May 14, 2015]