From previous studies of fossilised bones, scientists knew that adult straight-tusked elephants could weigh around 5,500 kilograms for females and 13,000 kilograms for males. However, scientists focussed on the study of social behaviour and biology of these elephants that were wept out during the last ice age. This was the first time that footprints of a newborn straight-tusked elephant were found. Previous studies suggest that the tracks were laid down about 1,06,000 years ago. Footprints and trackways have been attributed to the newborns, calves, and juveniles of the straight-tusked elephant species. Fossilised footprints of ancient straight-tusked elephants have been found in the coastal site of Huelva, a region that the scientists call the Matalascanas Trampled Surface. A recent finding at a beach in southern Spain suggests that the region may have been a nursery for an extinct species of elephant thousands of years ago.
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