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4,000-Year-Old Bison Skeleton With Copper Arrowhead Unearthed in Navarra

DNA testing will confirm the species within a year.

Overview

  • The find was presented in Navarra after recovery in October 2025 during a government-led intervention at Sima Arrafela with university and museum partners.
  • Radiocarbon dating and a copper point lodged between the ribs place the animal in the Late Chalcolithic and indicate prehistoric hunting.
  • Preliminary morphology suggests a European bison, though genetic results could instead align it with the so-called Clade X.
  • Researchers estimate a young adult male of about four years weighing more than 800 kilograms.
  • Cleaning, inventory and sampling for genetic and diet studies are complete, with comprehensive results expected within a year and potential exhibition under review.