Rare Fossils From Extinct Elephants Document Earliest Instance of Butchery in India’s Kashmir Valley

Roughly 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, in the Kashmir Valley, the remains of ancient elephants were preserved along with stone tools used by early humans. These fossils, first found in 2000 near Pampore, have now been confirmed to belong to an extinct species of elephant, Palaeoloxodon. Researchers, including Advait Jukar, a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, identified the fossils and uncovered evidence of human activity, marking the earliest known instance of animal butchery in India.

Stone tools and evidence of marrow extraction

Eighty-seven stone tools made from basalt were found alongside the fossils. These tools, brought from other locations and shaped at the site, were likely used by early humans to extract nutrient-rich bone marrow from the elephants. While no direct evidence of hunting was found, such as spear marks or embedded points, researchers suggest that early humans scavenged or possibly killed the elephants. The study shows that these hominins were skilled enough to break the bones to access the marrow.

Rare and significant fossil discovery

The fossils, especially the well-preserved skull, are of great scientific importance. Palaeoloxodon, the extinct elephant species, was much larger than modern African elephants. These specific fossils belong to Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus, a species only previously discovered in a fragmentary form in Turkmenistan in 1955. The nearly complete skull found in Kashmir is one of the most comprehensive examples of this species. The fossils include delicate throat bones that helped confirm the species identification.

New insights into early human behaviour in India

This discovery adds a new dimension to our understanding of early human activity in India. Apart from tools, evidence of human-animal interaction has been scarce. Advait Jukar believes this find, alongside the well-known Narmada human fossil, highlights the significant role the Indian subcontinent played in human evolution.