Upon its discovery in May, the find caused a stir in the region. Residents wondered whether it was the remains of a mammoth or a dinosaur. The angler reported the discovery to the commune authorities, which, in turn, informed the Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

'The bone found in Książnice is a mammoth femur. It belonged to an adult because both epiphyses, the upper and lower ones, were attached to the shaft of the bone. The bone and the individual was no longer growing. It is impossible to tell what caused the death of this animal', says Piotr Wojtal from the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków.

He adds that the remains of mammoths are very large, which is why they have attracted people's attention for a long time.

He gave the example of the femur hanging at the door of the Wawel Cathedral. It was probably found by the inhabitants of medieval Kraków on the bank of one of the rivers near the city and brought to Wawel Hill. It was believed that it belonged to the Wawel dragon and would scare away evil forces.

Archaeological sites are also known where the remains of hunted mammoths have been discovered. The most spectacular example, the scientist says, is the Kraków Spadzista site, where hunters from approximately 27-29,000 years ago hunted over 113 of these animals. Another example in southern Poland is the Kraków Nowa Huta site, where the remains of a mammoth killed by Paleolithic hunters were found.

In the Pleistocene, mammoths inhabited Eurasia (including the entire territory of today's Poland) and North America. Climate change is named as one of the possible causes of their extinction are.

The most recent discovery will now be added to the collection of the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals. (PAP)

PAP - Science in Poland, Beata Kołodziej

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