Extremely low Danube water levels near Ryakhovo, Bulgaria, exposed mammoth remains — a lower jaw, two tusks and a rib — which were recovered and taken to the Regional History Museum in Ruse. The bones will be dried and stabilised before conservation and scientific analysis can determine their origin and age. Prehistoric finds are relatively common in the Ruse area, where the museum already exhibits earlier discoveries and a life-size mammoth model.
Drought Exposes Mammoth Bones on Danube Near Ruse, Bulgaria
The remains of a mammoth lie on the banks of the Danube in Bulgaria. Due to the extreme drought, the river water receded, exposing the mammoth bones. (is associated with: «Drought exposes mammoth bones on bed of Danube in Bulgaria») -/Regionales Geschichtsmuseum Russe an der Donau/dpa
Extremely low water levels on the Danube in Bulgaria have unexpectedly revealed prehistoric remains on the riverbed, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported. A local resident discovered the bones near the village of Ryakhovo, a short distance from the city of Ruse.
The Regional History Museum in Ruse confirmed the find includes a lower jaw, two tusks and a rib that appear to belong to a mammoth. The remains were transported to the museum for conservation and study.
Next steps: Museum specialists say the material must dry thoroughly before any preservation treatment can begin. Experts will then analyse the bones to determine their precise origin and age; the museum has not yet released a dating or species confirmation.
"The remains need to dry out here first," museum spokeswoman Silvia Kostadinova told dpa in Sofia. Only after drying can conservation work and scientific examination proceed.
Prehistoric animal remains are not uncommon in the Ruse region. The Regional History Museum already displays several earlier finds and a full-size model of a mammoth, underscoring the area's paleontological significance.
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