Archaeologists at a site near Yamula Dam in Türkiye’s Kayseri made a staggering find: a 7.5 million-year-old giraffe forelimb bone, adding a new ‘spot’ to their impressive discovery record. This find was particularly remarkable amidst the expected assemblage of equids and bovids, including an ancient three-toed horse, ‘hipparion,’ a distinct species from the modern day one-hoofed horse. Oğuzhan Köylüoğlu, an anthropologist at the forefront of the excavations that began on June 7, reported a tally of 612 fossils uncovered so far in this region. Ever since a local shepherd, Murat Adıyaman, stumbled upon a bone fragment in 2017, the area has been a hotbed for fossil enthusiasts. This year, the team decided to ‘stick their necks out,’ switching up their extraction method by removing fossils as blocks rather than individual pieces. An impressive mix of ancient animals, such as horses, sheep, goats, and antelopes, also surfaced from these age-old dusts alongside the unique giraffe fossil, which remains intact without fractures.
