Archaeologists, paleontologists, and conservators from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have unearthed a 2.5-meter-long tusk from a straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), near Kibbutz Revadim, around 23 miles west of Jerusalem in central Israel.
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the find on Tuesday; work on the site continues Wednesday.
The tusk, around 500,000 years old, is complete and well-preserved. It was first discovered by Jerusalem biologist Dr. Eitan Mor, who says he visited the area after reading about prehistoric elephants.
“To my surprise, I spotted something that looked like a large animal bone peeping out of the ground. When I looked closer, I realized that it was ‘the real thing,’ so I rushed to report it to the Israel Antiquities Authority,” he said.
This led to a two-week conservation and excavation effort, termed “Operation Elephant.”
Israel is on the southern edge of the extinct elephant species’ range.
“The species apparently appeared in our region about 800,000 years ago, and by 400,000 years ago it became extinct,” said Israel Antiquities Authority archaeozoologist Dr. Lee Perry-Gal.
The species survived in other regions but finally went extinct globally around 28,000 years ago.