Hungary: Discovering mammoth elephant fossils

The Institute of Geography at Hungary's Pecs University of Science has revealed the fossil bone of a mammoth elephant near the southern village of Zok.

According to Gyula Konrad, director of the Institute of Geography, the skull, part of the ivory is 1.5 meters long and many teeth of a prehistoric animal were found under a hill covered with grape fields.

Animals may have lived 10,000 - 18,000 years ago. Mr. Konrad said his bones will be coated with a special protective glue, which will then be transferred to the university for in-depth analysis.

' Mammoth elephant's bone discovery is always an event in Hungary, ' Konrad said. This elephant may have fallen into a trap dug by humans.

In July 2006, two mammoth fossils, one large and one small, were discovered at the construction site of the highway south of Lake Balaton (southwestern Hungary).