Pakistan scientists ‘find 1.1 million year-old stegodon tusk’

A team of Pakistani researchers claims to have unearthed a 1.1 million-year-old stegodon tusk in the central province of Punjab, potentially shedding new light on the mammal’s evolutionary journey. The tusk measures some 8ft (2.44 metres) in length and is around 8in (20.3 cm) in diameter, making it the the largest ever discovered in the country, according to the team. Stegodonts, distant cousins of modern elephants, are thought to have been present on earth from around 11 million years ago until the late Pleistocene period, which lasted until the end of the last Ice Age around 11,700 years ago.

If you have a complete tusk, that’s quite special – they are quite rare.

Dr Gerrit Van Den Bergh, a paleontologist at the University of Wollongong in Australia

The tusk was found by researchers from the zoology department of the University of Punjab during an expedition in the Padri village of Jhelum district, said Khurram Shahzad, a spokesman for the university. Professor Muhammad Akhtar, who led the research trip, told AFP: “This discovery adds to our knowledge about the evolution of the stegodon, particularly in this region. It also sheds light on what the environment was like at the time of the animal’s life." Stegodonts were known for their long, nearly straight tusks and low-crowned teeth with peaked ridges. This indicated they were browsers or mixed feeders in a forested environment, in contrast to the high-crowned plated molars of mammoths and elephants which allowed them to graze.

Around 1.2 million years ago they were still thriving.

Gerrit Van Den Bergh

dinosaur