35-million-year-old animal fossils found in Dhofar
Fossils of primitive elephants, giraffes and other mammals such as rodents have been found by geologists in the Eidm area of Dhofar Governorate, according to the Ministry of Heritage and Culture.
The fossils date back to the geological age known as Oligocene (35 million years ago) and contain a distinctive group of bones and teeth of these primitive mammals.
The national geological team, presided over by Dr Mohammed bin Hilal al Kindi, Head of the Omani Geology Society, found that rock sequences in Eidm, south of Dhofar, are featured with sedimentary layers.
They are mostly sediments of shallow coastal lanes.
They contain a huge number of marine fossils such as snails, shellfish, marine sponges, coral, sea urchins and a variety of fish bones. seas, marshes or
They also contain bones of mammals that lived near shallow seas such as species of extinct elephants and primitive giraffes.
This is in addition to primitive monkey teeth and animal fangs resembling a rhinoceros, besides turtle and crocodile bones dating back to the same age.
These rock layers, the team said, are distinctive and have no parallel except in the Ghaba region, Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, where fossils match with those in Eidm, although the “geological time difference” between them is relatively large.
Mammal fossils found in Eidm as well as Ghaba are of great scientific importance for understanding the migration of ancient mammals from Africa to Europe and Asia.
Although these samples have not been scientifically studied in detail as yet, they constitute great materials for exhibition in museums as well as research.