During the late middle Pleistocene, the remains of three ancient elephant relatives were discovered near a river in the Kashmir Valley of South Asia. Along with the elephant fossils, 87 stone tools made by early humans were also found near the site in 2000. However, the identity of the fossils, cause of death, and evidence of human intervention remained unknown until recently. The fossils belong to an extinct genus of elephants called Palaeoloxodon, and they are the most complete set of Palaeoloxodon bones ever found. The discovery sheds light on early human activities and interactions with large animals in India.
Researchers, including Advait Jukar, a curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, published two new studies on the fossils from the Pampore site. One study describes the discovery of elephant bone flakes suggesting early humans might have extracted marrow from the bones for sustenance. These findings provide the earliest evidence of animal butchery in India and offer insights into the dietary habits of early hominins in the Kashmir Valley. The stone tools used for marrow extraction were likely brought from elsewhere and were dated to be 300,000 to 400,000 years old.
The Pampore site is significant as it provides some of the earliest evidence of hominins eating elephants in India. Previously, the oldest evidence of butchery in India dated back less than ten thousand years, making the Pampore site a landmark discovery. Most of the elephant remains at the site belonged to a mature male Palaeoloxodon with abnormal bone growth in its skull, likely due to a chronic sinus infection. While there is no direct evidence of hunting, researchers suggest that the hominins might have come across the elephant carcass after its death from natural causes.
The Palaeoloxodon skull found at the Pampore site is unique and offers valuable insights into the evolution of the genus. The specimen belongs to the extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, which originated in Africa about a million years ago before dispersing into Eurasia. The fossil of Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus had only been found once before in 1955 in Turkmenistan. The intact hyoids in the skull helped researchers identify the species and understand its place in the evolutionary history of Palaeoloxodon. The species shows an intermediate stage in Palaeoloxodon evolution with unique features not found in modern elephant species.
Early humans have been consuming meat for millions of years, and the evidence of butchery at the Pampore site adds to our understanding of ancient human behaviors and interactions with large animals. The discovery of stone tools used for extracting marrow from elephant bones suggests that hominins had well-developed hunting strategies and dietary preferences. Advait Jukar emphasizes the importance of conducting extensive surveys and collecting all types of fossils to uncover more evidence of ancient butchery and hominin activities in the region. The studies offer valuable insights into the evolutionary history of elephants and early humans in South Asia.
The researchers’ findings were published in two separate studies, one focusing on the stone tools and elephant butchery in Quaternary Science Reviews, and the other on the taxonomy of the Palaeoloxodon specimen in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. These studies contribute to our knowledge of early human activities, animal interactions, and the evolutionary history of elephants in South Asia. The discoveries at the Pampore site highlight the importance of continued research and exploration to uncover more evidence of past human behaviors and their impact on the environment.
