Scientists came to this conclusion after they recently discovered fossils of gomphothers dating back 12,000 years near Lake Tagua Tagua branching off a glacier in southern Chile.
The weight of these large creatures was up to 4 tons, and their height could reach 3 meters, which led scientists to believe that they were the target of mass hunting in the area.
“The hypothesis we’re working on is hunting. We think this is because gomphothers are very large and dangerous and may require several people to hunt,” said Carlos Tornero, an archaeologist who works at the site.
According to the scientists, the discovery will also allow them to study the broader human impact on the region and how climate change affected animals in the region during that period.
“Reuters” quoted Elisa Callas, an archaeologist also working on the site as saying: “We can get a lot of information from here, for example regarding climate change, how it affected animals. The impact of humans on the environment is completely in line with what is happening. Now for the environment.”
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