Fossil localities near Yamula Dam, about 25 km northwest of Kayseri, preserve a diverse Late Miocene animal community that lived roughly 7.5 to 7.8 million years ago. Researchers report elephant relatives, three-toed horses, rhinoceroses and other mammals, alongside turtles and rodents. During a 2025 field season, three elephant skulls were reported from the area—one with its lower jaw intact—but the fossils represent more than a story about giants: their distribution may also help scientists reconstruct the ancient landscape.
How old are the Yamula Dam fossils?
A 2025 congress abstract reports three age estimates for fossil-bearing localities in the Kızılırmak basin. The estimates come from 40Ar/39Ar dating and apply to sampled layers, not necessarily to each individual fossil.
| Locality | Reported age | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Çevril and Taşhan | 7.74 ± 0.07 million years | Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University congress abstract, 2025 |
| Hırka | 7.46 ± 0.20 million years | Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University congress abstract, 2025 |
| Hırka | 7.53 ± 0.45 million years | Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University congress abstract, 2025 |
These are Late Miocene deposits. Specialist anthropologist Ömer Dağ told Anadolu Agency that researchers sampled above and below fossil-rich layers for argon dating; the numerical estimates and their uncertainty ranges are reported in the 2025 congress abstract. Anadolu Agency’s September 2025 report describes the elephant skull discoveries, while its July 2025 Turkish-language report covers the dating explanation and discovery history.
What animals were found?
The assemblage includes several groups of mammals as well as reptiles and rodents. The congress abstract lists:
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- Proboscideans: elephant relatives.
- Perissodactyls: horses and rhinoceroses; the 2025 news report specifically mentions three-toed horses.
- Artiodactyls: bovids, giraffids and pigs.
- Carnivores: including a saber-toothed cat mentioned in Anadolu Agency’s account of the 2025 season.
- Other animals: turtles, rodents and aardvark relatives.
The 11 September 2025 Anadolu Agency report, quoting archaeologist Ömer Dağ, says that season yielded three elephant skulls, one with its lower jaw intact. It also describes Çevril as the “elephant zone,” where most elephant fossils were found. That is a report about one field season, not a count of all elephant fossils recovered at the site or evidence that three complete skeletons were found.
How the fossil site was discovered and excavated
According to Anadolu Agency, a local goat herder reported fossils in 2017, and rescue excavation began in 2018. The 2025 congress abstract says the initial work was led by the Kayseri Museum Directorate, with Prof. Dr. Okşan Başoğlu as scientific advisor. Since 2022, the project has continued jointly with Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University under the scientific advice of Prof. Dr. Pınar Gözlük Kırmızıoğlu. The localities are about 25 km northwest of Kayseri, at an elevation of 1,050 m, according to the abstract.
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What can the fossils tell researchers about the ancient landscape?
Geomorphological and paleogeographical studies described in the congress abstract indicate a lakeshore setting. Fossil concentrations may offer clues about how animals and the landscape were arranged, but their cause is not settled. Dağ told Anadolu Agency that remains might have been transported to the area or might reflect animals dying together; researchers were exposing deposits to investigate those possibilities. As he put it, “The concentration of elephants at certain points and the observed density provide insights into the paleogeography of the site,” according to the agency’s 11 September 2025 report.
The research team also reports using traditional casting, 3D scanning and modeling to create detailed, life-size reconstructions for museums and exhibitions. These methods help make fossils available for study and display without treating a reconstruction as an original fossil.
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Can you visit the fossils?
Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality reported that a Paleontology and Fossil Museum project in Melikgazi was under construction and intended to exhibit fossils excavated around Yamula. The municipal update provides no opening date, hours, ticket information or confirmation of current visitor access. Check for an official museum or municipality announcement before making travel plans. Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality’s project update
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