Old mammal fossils found

Old mammal fossils found

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters): Scientists in eastern Ethiopia said on Saturday they had discovered 250 four-million-year-old mammal fossils which could provide new clues about how humans evolved.

An international research group said they had discovered the skeletal remains of hyenas, lions, giraffes, horses, antelopes, hippopotami, pigs and the complete skull of a baboon.

Austrian scientist Horst Seidler said he believed it was just a matter of time before fossils of human origin were found in the Gadamaitu region of eastern Ethiopia.

"In our recent fieldwork we have no new findings of hominid fossils, but each of the newly discovered fauna pieces have made a significant contribution in the understanding of human evolution," he told a news conference.

About 20 anthropologists, geologists and paleontologists from Austria, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy and the United States took part in the four-week field work last month.