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[The CIVIS Newsroom ](https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom) 2. Romanian researchers discover a “graveyard of mammoths” in the Buzău Valley Romanian researchers discover a “graveyard of mammoths” in the Buzău Valley ============================================================================= CIVIS Highlights 9 janvier 2025 An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the UB Faculty of Geology and Geophysics and from the Buzău County Museum discovered skeleton remains in the Buzău Valley, which form part of a “graveyard of mammoths”. The discoveries and osteological analyses of bone fragments from different types of mammoths, which appear to have lived 2 million years ago in the Buzău River Valley, motivated the specialists to continue their research, hoping that the area may prove to be a “mammoth graveyard”. ![](/storage/files/mandibula-mamut.jpg)*South mammoth mandible (Mammuthus meridionalis) from the collection of the Buzău County Museum*Researchers and teaching staff from the UB Faculty of Geology and Geophysics were co-opted by specialists from the Buzău County Museum to identify mammoth fossils found on the shore of the Buzău River, in the area of Stăncești. Following osteological analyses, the team of researchers came to the conclusion that the fossils – isolated teeth and shoulder blade fragments – belong to a few mammoth individuals (*Mammuthus meridionalis*). Other remains coming from the same species, discovered in the same area of the Buzău River and never mentioned in the speciality literature, were identified in the collection of the Buzău County Museum. Considering the fact that such fossils have repeatedly been discovered in the same area, the proximity of the Buzău County presents a high potential to further provide such fragments, thus enabling researchers to plan detailed field research in this area. Up to the moment of these discoveries, the zone represented a white area on the map of sites containing remains of quaternary vertebrates in Romania. Mammoths, some of the largest terrestrial mammals that lived on the European territory -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the largest terrestrial mammals that lived on the territory of Europe, mammoths represent a group of extinct *Proboscideans*, part of the *Elephantidae family.* Only three species are still alive today - two African elephants and one Indian elephant. The entire group originates from the territory of Africa, from where, approximately 3.2 million years ago, comes the oldest species also met in Europe: *Mammuthus rumanus*. The species is described on the territory of Romania a century ago by palaeontologist Sabba Ștefănescu, based on a molar discovered in Tulucești, Galați County. Through the years, as a consequence of climate change influencing available food, three new species appeared, largely found in Eurasia and North America, succeeded and replacing one another: *Mammuthus meridionalis* (South mammoth), *Mammuthus trogontherii* (steppe mammoth), and *Mammuthus primigenius* (the woolly mammoth). All the four species of mammoths mentioned above were also present on the territory of Romania, but the most commonly met is the south mammoth. The “mammoth graveyard”, a notion coming from popular culture ------------------------------------------------------------- ![](/storage/files/stefanvasile.jpg)*Lecturer Ștefan Vasile, during the excavations of mammoth remains in the south of Romania*The scientific collection of the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics contains over 200 mammoth fossil pieces, including the molar used to first describe the *Mammuthus rumanus* species to the world. Most of the pieces are either isolated teeth or fragments of a long bone. Skeletons (more or less complete), or several pieces coming from different individuals, are far less common. Thus, more significant mammoth remains findings have always triggered a special interest, reaching the point when popular culture created the notion of “mammoth graveyard”. Its current correspondent is the "elephant graveyard" – a place where past mammoths or nowadays elephants are supposed to retreat to die when they feel their end is close. But the concept has not been yet supported by scientific evidence, neither for elephants nor for mammoths. The accumulation of several skeleton pieces in one place seems to be a natural occurrence, related to the flowing and sediment depositing system of rivers, or anthropic, in the case of mammoth hunting tribes. **More details are available in the original story, in** [**Romanian**](https://unibuc.ro/o-echipa-interdisciplinara-de-cercetatori-de-la-facultatea-de-geologie-si-geofizica-a-ub-si-de-la-muzeul-judetean-buzau-a-descoperit-resturi-scheletice-pe-valea-buzaului-parte-integranta-dintr-un/)**.** ### Latest news: [*Tackling the health challenge through education & research - CIVIS special feature*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/tackling-the-health-challenge-through-education-and-research) [ *Stockholm Prize in Criminology awarded to practitioners working to reduce cruel and unusual punishment*](https://civis.eu/en/get-informed/news/stockholm-prize-criminology-awarded-practitioners-reduce-cruel-and-unusual-punishment) [*Master's Programme in Transdisciplinary Studies of Climate, Environment and Energy*](https://civis.eu/fr/learn/find-your-master-s-programme/master-s-programme-in-transdisciplinary-studies-of-climate-environment-and-energy) Related news ------------ - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/highlights-opportunities-800x600.jpg?token=2bc12848c2bac130faa2981f4e007629)Academic solidarity powered by the University of Bucharest for sustaining education in Kyiv CIVIS Highlights 6 mars 2026 ](https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom/academic-solidarity-powered-by-the-university-of-bucharest-for-sustaining-education-in-kyiv) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/ceratopsians-horned-dinosaurs-800x600.jpg?token=2c13607a64aa0419cfdd7a7cb1dedce1)Major study involving the University of Bucharest rewrites the history of European dinosaurs CIVIS Highlights 15 janvier 2026 ](https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom/major-study-involving-the-university-of-bucharest-rewrites-the-history-of-european-dinosaurs) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/rutte3-800x600.png?token=60cb9cf5babe6e55c3d53d040269a329)NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pays a visit to the University of Bucharest and talks to the students CIVIS Highlights 4 décembre 2025 ](https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom/nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-pays-a-visit-to-the-university-of-bucharest-and-talks-to-the-students) [Découvrez toutes nos aventures](https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom) [ Tackling the health challenge through education & research ](< https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom/tackling-the-health-challenge-through-education-and-research >) [ Stockholm Prize in Criminology awarded to practitioners working to reduce cruel and unusual punishment ](< https://civis.eu/fr/the-civis-newsroom/stockholm-prize-criminology-awarded-practitioners-reduce-cruel-and-unusual-punishment >) ![CIVIS – Europe’s Civic University Alliance](https://civis.eu/build/assets/civis-CCpvK1nT.svg) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe’s Civic University Alliance ![Co-funded by the European Union](https://civis.eu/build/assets/co-funded-by-the-european-union-DSKLW1us.png)Views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 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