Ancient Elephant Unearthed In Java

Blora, Central Java - The residents of the small town of Blora, 105 kilometers from Semarang, were surprised earlier this year when the most intact fossilized elephant skeleton ever found in Indonesia was unearthed nearby, a senior archeologist said on Thursday.

The recovery of the skeleton was completed last month and it has been taken to the Geology Museum in Bandung, said Suroso, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism`s director of archeological heritage.

“Our paleontologists from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) cooperated with Australia experts in the recovery of the ancient fossil,” Suroso said.

“It`s amazing. It`s so rare to find a complete elephant fossil.”

Suroso said it was estimated that the elephant died some 200,000 years ago and was from an ancient species much larger than the modern-day Sumatran elephants, categorized as the smallest of Asian elephants.

Suroso said the elephant fossil was first found by villagers after part of a sand quarry collapsed near Sunggun village, some three kilometers from the Bengawan Solo River.

The villagers, unsure what to do with their find, called in local officials and the news eventually reached ITB .

“The researchers were Gert van den Bergh from the University of Wollongong [in Australia] and Fachroel Azis and his team from ITB,” Suroso said.

It had taken them four weeks to excavate the huge but fragile prehistoric fossil, which is three meters tall with tusks about two meters long.

State-run news agency Antara reported on Thursday that the Geology Department of ITB now possessed three specimens of ancient elephants.

“Sinomastodon” and “Stegodon” are displayed at the Geology Museum in Bandung and will soon be joined by the newest specimen, named “Elephas hysudrindicus” or Gajah Menden.

Elephas is the youngest of the three — Sinomastodon and Stegodon lived two and one million years ago respectively.

A replica of the skeleton will be made for display in Australia. Nurfika Osman

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com (11 June 2009)
Photo: http://www.elephant-news.com

Share

Write your comment !