Workers in Central Asia discovered the “mammoth” earlier this month.
Workers discovered the ancient mammoth bones while quarrying on June 2. The bones were found in “the sandy deposits of the ancient floodplain of the Jirgalan River,” Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Culture said in a press release.
Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country surrounded by Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and China. The discovery was made in the Issyk-Kul region, which borders China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
An official statement, translated from Kyrgyz to English, said archaeologists were immediately called to the site to analyse the surprising find.
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Workers at a quarry in Central Asia discovered the “mammoth” on June 2, photos show. (Ministry of Culture of Kyrgyzstan)
“During investigations, it was discovered that the teeth and fragments of the lower jaw were found in two locations 140-150 metres apart, at a depth of 3-5 metres in the gravel deposits of the quarry,” the agency explained. “During cleaning of the area where the tusks were found, parts of the buried bone were found.”
The photos show the mammoth’s massive jaw and teeth buried in the sand, and archaeologists had to take special care to ensure the bones were preserved.
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The mammoth remains discovered included a jaw and teeth. (Ministry of Culture of Kyrgyzstan)
“The exposed bones would not remain intact for long and would quickly be destroyed by exposure to sunlight,” the press release added. “So the archaeologists dug the hole from top to bottom and cleaned their find, revealing that the lower part of the mammoth’s skull had been preserved.”
“Archaeologists were only able to extract part of the skull due to the poor condition of the bones,” the statement added. “The teeth and jaw fragments previously found have been cleaned and preserved. On-site“
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Quarry workers discovered the mammoth near the Jirgalan River in Kyrgyzstan. (Ministry of Culture of Kyrgyzstan)
The statement added that although the teeth and jaw were separate discoveries, “their discovery in two different locations in the same quarry indicates promising future discoveries around the quarry.”
“We call on all citizens of the country to use this opportunity to ensure the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, inform government agencies and archaeologists about their discoveries, conduct further investigations and ensure safety,” the official added.
Archaeologists worked carefully to preserve the bones at the site. (Ministry of Culture of Kyrgyzstan)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Ministry of Culture for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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