8 million-year-old ‘giant pig’ skull discovered in Central Anatolia

7 years ago, after a shepherd stumbled upon bone fragments on the banks of the Yamula Dam, an 8-million-year-old ‘giant pig’ skull was discovered during excavations in the area.

Yamula Dam is located in the Kocasinan district of Kayseri province in Central Anatolia.

Murat Adıyaman, who works as a shepherd, found bone fragments on the banks of the Yamula Dam in 2017, and when it was determined that the bone fragments belonged to 6 to 7.5 million years ago, excavation work was initiated.

Excavations have been continuing since 2018 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Okşan Başoğlu.

The fossil, which was extracted from the soil with the plaster jacket method, was brought to Kayseri Science Center Laboratory.

Prof. Dr. Okşan Başoğlu said, “This is the first time we found it whole like this. Now when we say pig, it sounds like a simple pig. But this creature is nothing like today’s pigs. We even call it a giant pig.”

Prof. Dr. Başoğlu stated that the fossil belongs to the Late Miocene period, that is, 7.5-8 million years ago, and said, “Its size is quite different from today’s pigs and it is a large creature. After a while, we will stand this pig up like we stand up elephants. Then you will see more clearly what kind of creature it is. It is very important for us to find a complete skull with such integrity.”

Cover Photo: DHA