Gomphotheres, extinct relative of modern elephant, could have hunted

Gomphotheres, an extinct relative of the modern elephant, roamed southern Chile thousands of years ago and could have been the target of group hunts by the inhabitants of the region, according to Chilean scientists hypothesize.

Scientists have recently discovered several Gomphothere remains dating back 12,000 years near Lake Tagua Tagua, a glacial finger lake in southern Chile.

The large animals weighed up to 4 tons and could reach 3 meters 9.8 feet, leading scientists to believe that they were the target of group hunts from inhabitants in the region.

The hypothesis we are working with is that it is about hunting, hunting events, said Carlos Tornero, an archeologist working on the site. We think this is because of the Gomphothere being a very large animal and dangerous and it probably required several people to hunt. Scientists say that the discovery will allow them to study the wider human impact on the region and how a changing climate affects animals in the area during that time.

We can get a lot of information from here, for example, about climate change, how it has affected animals, said Elisa Calas, an archaeologist who is also working on the site. The influence humans had on the environment is in line with what is happening now in terms of the environment.