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Mexican Airport Site Emerges as Major Graveyard of Ice Age Mammoths

Reuters

   ZUMPANGO, MEXICO - Amid busy construction crews racing to build an
   airport in Mexico, scientists are unearthing more and more mammoth
   skeletons in what has quickly become one of the world's biggest
   concentrations of the now-extinct relative of modern elephants.

   More than 100 mammoth skeletons have been identified spread across
   nearly 200 excavation sites, along with a mix of other Ice Age mammals,
   in the area destined to become the Mexican capital's new commercial
   airport.

   Lead archeologist Ruben Manzanilla explained on Tuesday that around
   24,000 years ago mammoth herds reached this spot where sprawling
   grasslands and lakes would have enticed them to reside.

   "This place was like a paradise," he told Reuters, noting that as the
   last glaciers melted a wide range of mammals -- including ancient
   species of camels, horses and buffalo -- lived along what would have
   been an extremely muddy shoreline.

   "Then over many years the same story repeated itself: The animals
   ventured too far, got trapped and couldn't get their legs out of the
   muck," said Manzanilla.

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