Graveyard mammoth under the Volga river

Russia's largest river is likely to contain a mammoth graveyard. Scientists hypothesize that after divers often encounter prehistoric animal bones in the riverbed.

The group of Volga river bottom divers in Astrakhan and Volgograd region do not dare to believe what they discovered. At a depth of 15 meters, Andrei Tatarov saw a large bone and ivory. He joked with his colleague: 'This kind of meeting a mammoth!', That is so. The bottom of the Volga River has buried the bones of prehistoric animals.

Photos: german.ruvr.ru

Getting up from the riverbed found to have a total weight of over 150kg is not a simple matter. The 30kg heavy ivory belongs to an adult male elephant, the skeleton of a 5-year-old elephant. Both animals live in the Volga basin about 120,000 years ago.

They drowned, perhaps when crossing the river in the flood season. Moreover, according to archaeologists a tragedy of mammoths happened here. Before the formation of the Volga, the area was a network of small rivers and canals.

Divers have confirmed scientists' estimates. According to them, in the heart of the Volga River, the area between the provinces of Astrakhan and Volgograd, a mammoth cemetery may be encountered. This position lies on the migration path of animals in the Neanderthal period. Thanks to clay, the bones are perfectly protected. However, special equipment is needed to safely take them out of the water.

Microscopic studies of remains indicate that mammoths live in the Volga basin without thick fur. Thus, in prehistoric climate here is relatively warm. Information was transferred to the Russian Academy of Sciences. Researchers are arranging a comprehensive expedition to the Volga bottom.