Sea otter fossil found in Çankırı

ÇANKIRI - Anadolu Agency

The fossil of a sea otter shows the region is 8 million years old and was once a forested area. AA photo

The fossil of a sea otter has been found in the Central Anatolian province of Çankırı, revealing 8 million years of animal life in the area.

The excavations, headed by Professor Ayla Sevim Erol of the Anthropology Department at Ankara University, have been ongoing in the area for the last 17 years.

“The number of species discovered reached 20 with the recent fossils that were discovered. Looking at these fossils, we can say that the region is 8 million years old,” Erol said.

“Sea otters live in watery and forestry areas. In reality, we can say that the region that we define as being susceptible to droughts was actually not at all. This fossil shows that this place was a forested area, and this came as a complete surprise to us,” she added.