Giant Prehistoric tusks found in Greece

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A startling discovery of two massive prehistoric tusks - possibly the largest ever found in the world - could prove to be a "gold mine" for scientists seeking clues into Europe's past, say Greek and Dutch researchers excavating the site in northern Greece. The petrified remains of a mastodon - a primitive elephant-like creature - with tusks measuring up to five meters long, were found in an area where excavations have uncovered the remains of several prehistoric animals over the past decade. The research team said it was the largest tusk ever found from the primitive ancestor of the elephant. "To find a tusk five meters long, that was a big surprise," Evangelia Tsoukala, Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Thessaloniki, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the site late Wednesday.