Animal fossils discovered 20,000 years old

The remains of four giant Glyptodont living in the Renewal world were accidentally found by a farmer in the capital, Buenos Aires.

Four 20,000-year-old Glyptodont fossils were found in Argentina.(Photo: Metro).

The discovery was made by farmer Juan de Dios Sota while grazing cattle on a river bank in eastern Argentina.Glyptodont, considered the ancestor of modern apricot species , developed in South America 20 million years ago before extinction at the end of the Renewal.

After receiving the report, the Incuapa-Conicet Institute of Paleontology and Archeology sent a team of experts to the site and is expected to spend a week excavating the fossils.

The excavation site is located by a river bank in Buenos Aires.(Photo: Metro).

"At first, we were only expecting to find two Glyptodonts but when the excavation began, two more were found , " said Pablo Messineo, a member of the archaeological team. "This is the first time that four Glyptodont fossils have appeared in the same place. They all turned their heads in one direction, as if they were moving towards something."

Of the four specimens found, there were two adults and two juveniles. The team is preparing to analyze fossils to determine their age, sex and cause of death.

Graphic simulating giant Glyptodont species.(Photo: Alamy).

Like today's apricot species, Glyptodont's body is surrounded by a hard shell made of bone scales, which can be 1.5 m long and 5 cm thick. They also have a long and pointed tail, which acts as a mace to fight off enemies when attacked. The largest Glyptodont can weigh up to 2,000kg.

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