Archaeologists from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced the discovery of fossil remains in a ditch in the municipality of Tula, Tamaulipas. The remains belong to an equid, a camelid, and a proboscidian—three prehistoric animals that lived more than 10,000 years ago.
The discovery was made after a citizen complaint alerted authorities in Tula about bones protruding from the wall of a stream known as El Vado La Muralla. Upon receiving the report on April 17, 2023, a notification was sent to the INAH Tamaulipas Center for experts to investigate the finding. A team of specialists, including archaeologist and director of the state representation of the INAH, Tonantzin Silva Cárdenas; biologist Ángel Banda Ortiz; and archaeologists Esteban Ávalos Beltrán and Hugo Fernández Ramírez, was dispatched to the site to register the area and recover the bone remains, preventing them from being looted.
During the excavation at El Vado La Muralla, INAH personnel extracted fossil remains that could belong to a proboscidian, specifically a coxal bone believed to be part of the pelvis of a mammoth or mastodon. Biologist Banda explained that further analysis is required to determine whether the bone belongs to a mastodon or a mammoth. Additionally, the team discovered part of the jaw with teeth of a camelid and the upper molar of an equid.
“The area was an alluvial deposit, with sediments like sands, gravels, and silts, where, over time, remains of megafauna were deposited,” said archaeologist Silva Cárdenas, according to El Universal. “This is why we undertook a broader exploration that also allowed us to locate part of the jaw with teeth of a camelid and the upper molar of an equid.”
The recovered materials were transferred to the Archaeology section of the INAH Tamaulipas Center in Ciudad Victoria. They are undergoing a process of cleaning and restoration that will allow detailing their dimensions, temporality, and their association with previous findings in the region. Experts preliminarily established that the bone remains date back to the late Pleistocene epoch, making them at least 10,000 years old.
Elements of the Tamaulipas State Guard provided support to INAH personnel for the transfer of the fossil remains, while the municipal police of Tula guarded the site during the work, providing security and logistical support.
The finding underscores the importance of inter-institutional collaboration for the conservation of the historical and natural heritage of the state. “We call for any archaeological or paleontological finding to be reported to the institute, so that the heritage can be investigated and properly safeguarded,” stated Silva Cárdenas.
Over 10,000 years ago, in parts of Mexico, mainly in the central region, mammoths roamed the valleys, lakes, and rivers in search of food and shelter. Mammuthus columbi is one of the species of mammoth that inhabited North America during the Pleistocene epoch, which began about 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago. Proboscidians are an order of mammals that include the families of mammoths and current elephants.
Most of the mammoth remains in Mexico have been discovered in the State of Mexico and Mexico City, particularly to the east of the lakes of Zumpango and Texcoco. Municipalities such as Tlalnepantla, Tultepec, Ecatepec, and Coacalco, as well as neighborhoods like Lindavista, La Villa, Talismán, Gertrudis Sánchez, and Peñón de los Baños, have yielded findings. According to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), remains of 200 mammoths have been found on the former shores of the lakes of Chalco, Xochimilco, Texcoco, Xaltocan, and Zumpango, in the Mexico Basin.
The most recent mammoth discovery in Mexico occurred in 2020 during construction work for the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), where more than 40,000 fossilized bones were found, dating from 30,000 to 11,000 years ago. The discovery at Santa Lucía is considered the largest collection of mammoth fossil remains in Latin America and led to the creation of the Paleontological Museum of Santa Lucia Quinamétzin.
In the municipality of Xicoténcatl, Tamaulipas, two hours from Tula, lies the Valley of the Mammoth, one of the places where fossil remains of these prehistoric giants have been documented. If the bone remains found in Tula belong to a mammoth, the discovery could provide valuable information about the presence of this megafauna in the northern states of Mexico.
Biologist Banda emphasized the need for further analysis to determine the exact species of the proboscidian remains. “Determining whether the bone belongs to a mastodon or a mammoth requires careful study,” he said.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.