New finds in “Tavrida”: hyena and fox teeth

Scientists have discovered in the Crimea the remains of animals that lived 1.5 million years ago

The teeth of ancient hyenas and foxes were discovered by Crimean scientists in the Taurida cave. The finds have replenished the exposition of the Scientific speleological-paleontological complex “Cave” Tavrida “” of the Crimean Federal University (KFU).

Recall that the kilometer-long cave “Tavrida” was discovered in 2018, 15 km east of Simferopol, in the Belogorsk region of Crimea during the construction of a highway. It consists of several galleries, which are interconnected by labyrinthine passages. The galleries are 6 to 12 meters high and 4 to 8 meters wide.

Immediately after the discovery of the cave, the bones of an entire ancient “zoo” from the early Pleistocene were found in it: their age is 1.5-1.8 million years. Paleontologists have found here the remains of a southern elephant, two species of horses, two rhinoceros, a giant camel, an ancient big-horned deer “Arvernoceros Vereshchagin”, as well as a giant ostrich. Later, the remains of an Etruscan bear were first found here.

Over time, scientists open new entrances to the cave and, accordingly, new animal remains. So, a year ago, the skull of a hyena was found, which probably used the cave to store its prey (the bones of ostriches and bison lay near the skull).

As MK was informed at KFU, this year young researchers of the university during a practical lesson for participants in a youth caving school discovered two more unique finds: a milk tooth of a giant cave hyena and a tooth of an ancient fox.

Scientists consider the milk tooth of a giant hyena about three centimeters in size to be the most interesting. It was discovered near the cave “Tavrida” in perfect condition. The age of the find is approximately from 80-100 thousand years to 1.6 million years.