Hundreds of fossils found outside Argentina's capital

Buenos Aires, April 20 (IANS/EFE) Paleontologists found about 300 well-preserved fossils of pre-historic animals at two quarries outside Buenos Aires, Argentine officials said.

The fossils were found by specialists from the University of La Plata in a 1,000 sq. meter lot in Marcos Paz, a city about 40 km from the capital.

Paleontologists found everything "from (fossils of) a baby glyptodon to a complete herd of huge mastodons, the ancient relatives of today's elephants", Marcos Paz Paleontology Division chief David Piazza told the official Telam news agency.

The fossilized remains of horses, stags, turtles, weasels, small birds, amphibians and fish were also found at the site.

The discovery "drew our attention because of the abundance of animal fossils in a small area and the quality of the specimens", Piazza said.

One of the most important fossils found was the skull and jaw bone of a Macrauchenia, a long-necked giant mammal similar to a camel.

--IANS/EFE

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