Unearthing the Giants: A New Twist in Elephant Evolution

Researchers have identified a unique elephant skull unearthed in Kashmir as potentially belonging to a distinct species of straight-tusked elephants, Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, supporting a broader geographical distribution from Central Asia to the Indian Subcontinent.

An elephant skull discovered in Kashmir's Pampore town in 2000 has sparked fresh interest among researchers, suggesting it may belong to a distinct species. This revelation, led by Advait Jukar of the Florida Museum of Natural History, emerged from a study unveiling its similarity to a specimen from Turkmenistan.

While traditional elephant tusks are characteristically curved, the straight-tusked variety, an extinct species from Europe and Western Asia, displays distinctively straight tusks and existed until around 21,000 years ago. The recent re-examination of the Kashmir skull, alongside 87 ancient stone tools, offers a glimpse into prehistoric life and the species' taxonomy.

Researchers found the skull features paralleled another obscure skull from Turkmenistan studied in the 1950s. The fusion of these findings in 'Quaternary Science Reviews' hints at a broader distribution of a possible new species, Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, providing key insights into its existence during the Middle Pleistocene period.

(With inputs from agencies.)