Remains of 60 mammoths found in Mexico

Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava, the institute’s national coordinator of archaeology, said the remains of about 60 mammoths had so far been uncovered in three areas since exploration started late last year on the airport construction site, which was formerly occupied by the Santa Lucía air base. The institute announced those findings in November, saying the bones could shed new light on the hunting habits of prehistoric communities who may have forced the Pleistocene animals into man-made traps. Adam N. Rountrey, a collection manager at the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, said at the time that the find in Tultepec was “interesting,” but he noted there had been debate about whether sites of mammoth remains represented hunted animals or scavenged natural deaths. Competing theories explain the demise of the mammoths, but it was most likely a combination of climate change, which created untenable conditions for the animals and also killed off a plant-based diet, as well as contact with humans who sought their skin and meat.