Raisen, Nov 14 A 65-lakh-year-old fossilised lower jaw of a giant prehistoric elephant-like mammal, measuring about 10.5 feet in height, has been found in Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, officials said on Saturday.
A four-member team of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has inspected the site following the discovery, they added.
The fossil, believed to belong to the extinct Stegodon namadicus species, was exposed by river erosion near Patai village in Deori tehsil, around 100 km from the district headquarters. The discovery is considered significant for palaeontological research, they said.
“The finding of the 65 lakh-year-old jaw could provide important insights into the ancient environment of the Narmada Valley, prehistoric life and the history of human evolution,” PK Kathal, retired senior professor of Sagar University, said.
Stegodon namadicus was a giant trunked mammal resembling an elephant that inhabited central India during the Middle to Late Pleistocene period before becoming extinct, he told PTI.
“The prehistoric animal stood around 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) tall at the shoulder and is estimated to have weighed about 7.5 metric tonnes. Its massive body and distinctive teeth were its key characteristics,” he said.
Kathal said the animal, primarily a herbivore, had large teeth with closely spaced, raised enamel ridges and plate-like structures on its molars, which helped it chew different types of vegetation.
“Fossils of Stegodon have been found in alluvial deposits of the Narmada Valley and several other parts of peninsular India. During the Middle Pleistocene period, its remains have also been found alongside those of other animals and early humans,” Kathal said.
The fossil discovered near Patai Ghat could provide another important link in understanding the region’s ancient environment and human evolutionary history, he added.
Deori tehsil Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ankit Jain said a four-member Geological Survey of India team from Bhopal visited the site on Friday to examine the fossil.
“The scientists, including geologist Hasan Mazaj, inspected its structure and the surrounding area. The team is expected to submit its report to senior officials shortly, following which scientific identification and historical significance of the fossil would become clearer,” Jain said.
(PTI News)
