-
How to identify lounging lizards in France
Learn about the habitats and behaviours of diverse lizard species, from the common wall lizard to the elusive Western three-toed skink
-
The origins and long history of France’s unique wildlife officers
Connexion talks to Julien Nicolas, who fulfils a role created by Charlemagne in the year 803, tackling wildlife posing a danger to the public
-
France leads efforts to save critically endangered European mink from extinction
A reintroduction plan is in place to save the species, which is more threatened than the Giant Panda
Prehistoric find excites experts
13million-year-old skull could be that of an ancestor of the elephant that was previously unknown in southwest France
A 13million-year-old mastadon skull found near Toulouse has sparked excitement among France's paleontologists.
The 1.6m intact skull, with tusks, was found last summer near Isle-en-Dodon, in the historic pays de Comminges in the foothills of the Pyrenees to the southwest of the Pink City.
The area is rich in prehistoric remains, but the size of the remains has prompted experts in Toulouse and Paris to speculate whether the animal was a Gomphotherium, a four-tusked ancestor of the mammoth and the elephant previously unknown to this part of the world.
The remains were carefully dug out of the ground and transported to Toulouse for further study. The identity of the animal will be revealed on July 10.
Stay informed:
Sign up to our free weekly e-newsletter
Subscribe to access all our online articles and receive our printed monthly newspaper The Connexion at your home. News analysis, features and practical help for English-speakers in France
