On the shore of the long-vanished Lake Tagua Tagua in central Chile, archaeologists have discovered an almost complete skeleton of an adult gomphothere — an extinct relative of elephants. The animal's skull, dated to approximately 12 500 years ago, bears traces of a fracture that, by all appearances, may have been inflicted deliberately.
The excavations were conducted by an international team led by archaeologist Rafael Labarca of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The work lasted from 31 August to 14 September 2026 in the O'Higgins Region. The bones were preserved unusually well, and the context of the find points to a period between 12 600 and 12 400 years ago. Radiocarbon dates are still being refined, so the conclusions so far rest on stratigraphy and associated artifacts.
It was the skull in particular that drew the researchers' attention. In the scientists' view, the fracture may have been made to access the brain — a valuable source of fats and nutrients. For now this is a working hypothesis requiring further laboratory analysis. Beside the gomphothere remains, bones of extinct horses, burnt bird bones and stone tools were found, which paints a picture of the systematic use of the resources of the ancient lake shore.
Gomphotheres were massive herbivores that reached several metres in height and weighed several tonnes. They lived in Chile during the Pleistocene and disappeared along with other representatives of the megafauna towards the end of the epoch. The new find adds to the already known evidence of human interaction with these animals and shows that groups of hunter-gatherers returned repeatedly to the same productive place.
The excavations of 2023–2026 revealed a network of test pits and expanded the study area. People, it seems, did not establish permanent settlements here, but visited the shore periodically, using a variety of resources: from large mammals to birds and, possibly, plants. Such an approach to the landscape speaks of flexible adaptation rather than a one-off event.
If further research confirms the deliberate working of the skull, the find will become one of the most direct pieces of evidence of how the early inhabitants of South America interacted with the giants of the Ice Age. It adds detail to the picture of the peopling of the continent and shows that people did not merely coexist with the megafauna but actively incorporated it into their diet and economy.
Such discoveries help reconstruct more precisely how ancient communities chose their dwelling places and managed the available resources.
