Greek farmer finds rare rhinoceros fossil

A farmer in the Greek town of Elassona has found the jaw of a rhinoceros that likely lived up to 9 million years ago, embedded in a piece of coal.

The fossil was authenticated by experts at Athens University and will go on display at Kozani's Natural History Museum, the Ekatherimini news agency said.

Experts at the university were unable to determine an exact age of the fossil, but postulated that it dated back to somewhere between 5 and 9 million years.

Geology Professor Evangelos Velitzelos said finding the rhinoceros jaw was "very significant" as it could lead to a series of similar finds in the area.

Previously, the area surrounding Elassona has yielded discoveries of the world's largest mastodon tusks, Ekatherimini said.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Citation: Greek farmer finds rare rhinoceros fossil (2007, January 25) retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2007-01-greek-farmer-rare-rhinoceros-fossil.html
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