Punjab University Researchers discover the skull of 1.1 million year old Stegodon

Lahore: Researchers from Punjab University Zoology Department have discovered the skull of 1.1 million year old female elephant that weight 120kg from Panjan Sher Shahana Pabbi Hills area of the district Gujrat.

The discovery will help scientists understand the genetic, hereditary and evolution of the animal. PU Zoology Department PhD Scholar Syed Ghayoor Abbas had been excavating in the area for the past 1.5 years. During his research work in the area of Pabi Hills, he found signs of remains of the skull of the female elephant. Ghayoor spent two day to unearth and preserve the complete skull.

Talking to media persons, PU Zoology Department Professor Dr Muhammad Akhtar said that during laboratory experiments it was found that the skull was 1.1 million year old and it belonged to the species of elephants found in Asia, Africa and Europe. He said that the skull was 38 centimeter long and 28 centimeter wide, which proved that this elephant was twice as big as the elephants found today. He said that the skull would be preserved and more research would be carried out to better understand the species of elephants of that era.

PhD Scholar Syed Ghayoor Abbas said that he had found fossils of many different animals and species in the area, which had opened new avenues for the field. He said that he had found fossils of deer, pigs and rhinos in the area during his excavation work. He said that these finds had helped him with his PhD thesis and these rare fossils would be shown to the world for further study.

According to Abbas, the scientific name of the elephant is “Stegodon”.