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A prehistoric mammoth has resurfaced in northern Bulgaria after the Danube River fell to record-low levels during a summer of prolonged heat and drought across Europe. A resident of the village of Ryahovo discovered the remains on the exposed riverbed on July 29 and alerted specialists at the Ruse Regional Museum of History. Experts identified a lower jaw, two tusks, a shoulder blade and a femur, along with another bone that may belong to the animal’s rib cage. The remains will undergo further study to determine their age and origin.
The discovery came as the Danube reached unusually low levels along its Bulgarian section. Prolonged dry conditions and high temperatures have reduced water levels in several major European rivers, including the Danube and Rhine. The low water has already affected shipping in Bulgaria, with shallow sections restricting the depth at which vessels can travel.
Mammoth remains emerge from the Danube riverbed
The remains were found near Ryahovo, in Slivo Pole municipality, north of Ruse. The village sits on the southern bank of the Danube, which forms part of Bulgaria’s northern border with Romania.
Residents reported the find, and museum specialists then examined the exposed bones. Nikolay Nenov, director of the Ruse Regional Museum of History, said experts initially identified a lower jaw and two tusks. Subsequent examination also identified a shoulder blade and a femur, while another bone may belong to the animal’s rib cage.
The museum plans to remove the remains for additional study. Researchers will examine the material to establish more precisely which mammoth species it represents and how old it is. For now, specialists have described the find as the remains of an ancient mammoth.
Nenov said the discovery should not be treated as a sensation, but noted that remains from such an ancient animal are scientifically valuable. He also pointed to the local geology. Researchers have long believed that the area where the bones were found was once a swamp, where the mammoth may have died thousands of years ago.
Why the Danube is exposing the remains now
Heat uncovered the mammoth, rather than an archaeological excavation. The river exposed the remains as its water receded.
The Danube has experienced a sustained decline during the European summer. On July 21, Bulgaria’s Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River reported that the river level was the lowest recorded for that period among the years being compared. Officials attributed the persistent low water to prolonged drought and hot weather across Europe.
The effects have extended beyond archaeology. Earlier in July, authorities reported six shallow sections along the Bulgarian Danube that were disrupting shipping. Some areas required restrictions on vessel draft, limiting how deeply boats could sit in the water.
The situation has also affected the Srebarna Nature Reserve, a protected wetland near the Danube in northeastern Bulgaria. Authorities declared a partial state of emergency there in July after water levels in the reserve’s lake fell to about 80 centimeters, nearly 1 meter below the seasonal optimum. Water had to be pumped from the Danube to help maintain the wetland.
What the mammoth discovery can reveal
Mammoths lived across large parts of Europe, Asia and North America during the Pleistocene, a geological period that began about 2.6 million years ago and ended roughly 11,700 years ago. Their remains have been found in different environments, including river deposits, wetlands and areas that were once exposed landscapes.
Determining the animal’s age and species could yield crucial insights into the prehistoric environment along the Danube. The condition and location of the bones may also help researchers understand how the remains were deposited and preserved.
For now, the exact age remains unknown. Museum researchers have not yet confirmed if the remains belong to a woolly mammoth or another mammoth species. The identification will depend on further examination of the recovered material.
The local environment may provide another clue. Nenov said researchers believe the area was once a swamp. If the bones were deposited there, the surrounding sediments could help explain how the animal died and how its remains survived underground.
The discovery also adds archaeological interest to an otherwise damaging period of low water on the Danube. Shipping has been restricted in shallow sections, and authorities have had to intervene to protect nearby wetlands.
As water levels continue to fluctuate, specialists have a limited opportunity to examine parts of the riverbed that normally remain underwater. The mammoth remains are among the prehistoric material now exposed by the retreating Danube.