Kyrgyzstan – the birthplace of the mammoths?

The other day in Bishkek brought the remains of an ancient animal, who two weeks ago was found near lake Issyk-Kul. Now scientists need to answer: whose is actually the bones of a mammoth or other animal.

Why the mammoths died out? One of the main hypotheses of the prehistoric giants died because they simply had nothing to eat. To solve this mystery in the near future, probably closer scientists from Kyrgyzstan. The other day in Bishkek brought the remains of an ancient animal, who two weeks ago was found near lake Issyk-Kul. Now scientists need to answer: whose are the bones of a mammoth or someone else? Different opinions listened to the correspondent of “MIR 24” Egor Orlov.

Erlan Kulatov of this route knows from childhood. Every day herding sheep back here. But recently, the habitual way of life has changed. Shepherd also now known all over the country. He found the bones of a mammoth, or mastodon. The tusks, teeth and skull. But the value of the findings to rate was not immediately apparent. The slopes of the ravine due to the rains could collapse at any moment. Had to wait for good weather.

The hype here is not used. The village of eagle, in spite of its proud name, nothing special is not allocated. Residents of thousand. Basically all livestock Yes apples and pears. Now, the journalists will come, the scientists.

“Really, it’s all a surprise for us. This once again proves that in ancient times there were such mammoths. Especially in our area. It’s very interesting,” – says a resident of the village of eagle Baktybek Mambetov.

To the river now as people go to work. Excessive curiosity has already led to tragic consequences: one of the tusks of the prehistoric animal crumbled after an unsuccessful attempt of the locals to dig up bones. Since then, there the policeman on duty.

“Conduct explanatory work with local population that such a find will have on the Issyk-Kul region of great importance, since our region is tourism. Tourists will attract that this finding”, explains the head of the press service of the Issyk-Kul police Department Stalbek Usubakunova.

The village head Urmat Imanaliev continues in the same spirit. Already preparing a business plan.

“This is a great find, world. You can open a Museum. May still have. Now the guys say, will look, look, maybe there’s a whole lot. It’s very good,” – said the mayor of the village of eagle Urmat Imanaliev.

However, the remains will most likely post up here at the State historical Museum. Here bones will double check, will conduct laboratory research. And then finally it becomes clear who found at Issyk-Kul lake – mammoth or mastodon?

To really confuse you. One unit of Proboscidea. All had, respectively, trunk, tusks, wool. Both are giants. But still they are completely different animals.

Mastodons first appeared 35 million years ago in Africa. Lived also in Europe, Asia, North and South America. Extinct 10 thousand years ago. According to one version, because of tuberculosis. Mammoths inhabited planet, compared to the dinosaurs, relatively recently – two million years ago. Their habitat – Europe, Asia, Africa, North America. Also became extinct about 10 thousand years ago.

At first glance, both giant similar to the modern elephant. But every scientist knows: mammoths and mastodons were different teeth.

“At woolly mammoth teeth lamellar, that is, they consist of stacks of very densely proterty plates, mastodons teeth of the so-called comb-like or lumpy type. That is, they have a separate top bumps can distinguish. Or separate the ridges. But never records we can find,” explains chief paleontologist of the State Darwin Museum Yaroslav Popov.

Therefore to doubt in General. In Issyk-Kul find a mammoth. The second question – what?

After all, there were many kinds. The most famous, one might say, canonical: the one depicted on the rock drawings, woolly. But it is believed that he lived in the Northern territories of Eurasia. And here Issyk-Kul. Scientists have an explanation.

Most likely, in Kyrgyzstan found a steppe mammoth. The name fits his lifestyle. Eating grass, have been looking for this wide open spaces, drawn to the banks of rivers. It is known that these animals lived on the territory of modern Kazakhstan. To the Issyk-Kul at hand. Millions of years ago, there were ideal conditions.

“The animal world in a very distant past on the territory of Kyrgyzstan was slightly different. Many animals that are not currently preserved, inhabited, including mammoths. About 2.5 million years ago they lived on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, and now in many areas find their remains,” – says leading researcher of the Museum Larisa Sobolinaya.

Another fact in favor of this theory. Just 10 kilometres from the village of eagle mammoth remains were found – 39 years ago. Now is the main exhibit in the Museum of the city of Karakol.

“They were found by the builders in about the same area where they found now. But there were very few bones. Only the tusks and teeth. Immediately brought to us. Since then this jewel of our display,” says Museum employee Suluu Sulaimanov.

At the scene of a mammoth have already left scientists from the Kyrgyz National University. They will work great, because it’s possible under ground there is a skeleton of a prehistoric giant. According to preliminary estimates, excavations will take several weeks, if not months.