by Maleeha Sofi
SRINAGAR: Nearly 24 years after its discovery in 2000, an ancient elephant fossil discovered in Saffron town of Pampore (Kashmir) near Galender is revealing remarkable insights into the region’s prehistoric life, shedding light on a time when colossal creatures roamed the lush valley, long regarded as the Paradise of the Indies. This extraordinary find, linked to early human activity, offers a new chapter in the story of Kashmir’s ancient past, transforming our understanding of the megafauna that once thrived in the region and the early humans who lived alongside them.
In a ground-breaking discovery, the fossils dating back to around 300,000 to 400,000 years ago (Middle Pleistocene), alongside evidence of early human activity, offer a rare insight into the interactions between humans and megafauna (large animals like elephants) in prehistoric Kashmir.
The fossils were first discovered in 2000 near fossil-rich Pampore, Kashmir, and have been identified as belonging to Palaeoloxodon, an extinct genus of elephants that were significantly larger than today’s African elephants. Palaeoloxodon stood at over four metres tall at the shoulder and weighed around ten tonnes. This discovery represents only the second known set of complete remains from this species, making it a significant find in palaeontology.
In 2019, an international team of scientists, led by Advait Jukar from the Florida Museum of Natural History, re-examined these fossils. Their work has revealed remarkable details about both the fossilised elephants and the early humans who interacted with them.
“From the general shape of the skull, it’s quite apparent that the elephant belonged to Palaeoloxodon, or straight-tusked elephants, among the largest land mammals that ever lived,” Dr Steven Zhang, a palaeontologist at the University of Helsinki, who was part of the re-examination of the fossil has stated.
Among the most notable findings is the presence of 87 stone tools alongside the fossils. These tools, made from basalt (a type of volcanic rock), were likely used by early humans to extract marrow from the elephant bones. Marrow, rich in fat, was a critical energy source for prehistoric humans. This is the earliest known evidence of animal butchery in Kashmir, pushing back previous estimates of such activities by nearly 300,000 years.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this discovery is that the Kashmir skull lacks the pronounced crest typically found in other Palaeoloxodon species from India. This feature, located on the roof of the skull, is often used by scientists to distinguish between species.
The fossils belong to Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, an extinct species of straight-tusked elephant that once roamed across Eurasia. This species, first identified in Turkmenistan in 1955, had been poorly understood due to the limited availability of fossil evidence. “The research team noticed how the Kashmir skull’s features conform best with another obscure skull from Turkmenistan. This connection points to the existence of a distinct species, Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, which we previously knew very little about,” Dr Zhang explained.
Unlike most Palaeoloxodon species, known for their prominent cranial crests (a bony protrusion on the skull), the skull found in Kashmir had an underdeveloped crest. This feature suggests an evolutionary stage between earlier African species, such as Palaeoloxodon recki, and later Eurasian species like Palaeoloxodon antiquus. These findings help bridge a gap in human understanding of how these massive herbivores evolved and spread across continents.
By studying the wisdom teeth and other features of the Kashmir skull, the team concluded that the fossil belonged to a mature male elephant. “From the size, the wisdom teeth, and a few other telltale features of the skull, it is evident that the animal was a majestic bull elephant in the prime of its life, but the lack of a well-developed skull crest… tells us we have a different species on our hands here,” Dr Zhang has remarked.
“The Kashmir skull provides a strong case for a distinct species of Palaeoloxodon in Central and South Asia with intermediate features between early African species and later Eurasian relatives,” the study’s lead author, Dr Jukar was quoted as having said in a detailed report posted on Floria Museum webize.
The association of these fossilised remains with human-made tools is one of the most exciting aspects of the discovery. The tools found at the site, primarily flakes and blades, were likely used for butchering the elephant carcasses. Although there is no direct evidence of hunting, such as spear points embedded in the bones, it is clear that early humans took advantage of the elephant remains. The researchers believe that the early humans likely scavenged the carcasses rather than hunting the elephants, as the skull of the primary Palaeoloxodon specimen showed signs of a chronic sinus infection that may have contributed to its death.
Dr Jukar explained, “The absence of clear hunting evidence doesn’t diminish the significance of human interaction. The tools and the evidence of marrow extraction tell us that these early humans were adept at exploiting the resources available to them.”
Interestingly, the stone tools found at the site were made from basalt, which is not native to Kashmir. This suggests that early humans carried the raw materials from other regions, possibly across significant distances, before shaping them into tools. Based on the technology used to create the tools, the team has dated them to the Middle Pleistocene period, making them some of the oldest evidence of human activity in Kashmir.
This discovery is crucial not only for understanding the life of Palaeoloxodon in South Asia but also for shedding light on the activities of early hominins (the group that includes modern humans and our direct ancestors) in this region. Before this discovery, only one fossil hominin, the Narmada human, had been found on the Indian subcontinent. This find, combined with the stone tools, strongly suggests that early humans were present in the region much earlier than previously thought and that they interacted with large animals like elephants.
Dr Jukar has noted, “This find raises important questions about who these early humans were, how they lived, and how they interacted with the environment. Were they hunters, or did they rely on scavenging? The tools and the fossils give us a fascinating glimpse into their world.”
The fossils and tools from the Pampore site provide a rare opportunity to study the relationship between early humans and the megafauna they shared their world with. As more sites are discovered and explored, scientists hope to uncover even more evidence of how early humans survived and thrived in prehistoric India.
The research, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, was a collaborative effort involving scientists from institutions such as the Florida Museum of Natural History, the British Museum, and the University of Jammu. Funding for the study came from several organisations, including the British Museum and the Calleva Foundation. The researchers later published another major paper detailing the tools in vogue.
The fossil was examined by an international team of experts, including Dr Advait Jukar (Florida Museum of Natural History), Dr Ghulam Mohammad Bhat (University of Jammu), the geologist who was behind the discovery of the fossil and its transportation from Srinagar to Jammu, Dr Steven Zhang (University of Helsinki), Nick Ashton (British Museum), Simon Parfitt (Natural History Museum, London), Marc Dickinson (University of York), Bindra Thusu (University College London), and Jonathan Craig (Durham University). Their collective expertise was pivotal in uncovering the fossil’s significance and evolutionary context.
As the team continues their work, they hope to uncover further insights into the Pleistocene era and South Asia’s role in the evolution and migration of both humans and megafauna. With new discoveries like the Palaeoloxodon fossils in Kashmir, the story of ancient life in this region is becoming clearer, one fossil at a time.
