Polish teenager stumbles across mammoth tusk

The lucky finder spotted the curious object jutting out of a pond.

Owing to the recent heat wave, water levels of rivers, lakes and ponds have sharply decreased in many regions across Poland.

For the time being, the tusk is being looked after by the Wodzisław Śląski Museum.

“It has survived in very good condition,” enthused museum director Sławomir Kulpa.

“However, after cleaning off the dirt we noticed some small cracks.”

The tusk spans 110 cm, while the mammoth itself would have once been about 4 metres high, weighing up to ten tonnes.

Mammoths became extinct in Europe about 13,000 years ago.

Sławomir Kulpa noted that plans are now afoot to carry out an extensive dig in the area.

“Several years ago, a number of other Paleolithic items were discovered not far from where the tusk was found, so we can expect that other animal remains and traces of people will be found after research is commenced there,” he said. (nh)

Source: PAP