Hundreds of bones uncovered in ‘earliest Mammoth hunting traps’

Mammoth bones at an excavation site in Tultepec, just north of Mexico City (Picture: AP)

Anthropologist have discovered what are believed to be the world’s earliest mammoth traps.

Dating back 15,000 years, they were filled with hundreds of bones.

Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History revealed that the human-built pits were on land that was earmarked as a landfill site.

“This is the largest find of its kind ever made,” the institute said in a statement.

The discovery is said to be the 'largest find of its kind ever made' (INAH/AFP via Getty Images)

The remains were found in Tultepec, near the site where a new airport for Mexico City is being built.

Some bore signs that the animals had been hunted, leading experts to conclude that they had found “the world’s first mammoth trap”.

The bones of at least 14 mammoths, who would have lived more than 14,000 years ago, were found (INAH/AFP via Getty Images)

“Mammoths lived here for thousands of years. The herds grew, reproduced, died, were hunted... They lived alongside other species, including horses and camels,” archaeologist Luis Cordoba said.

Researchers said at least five mammoth herds lived in the area.

Mammoths lived from the Pliocene Epoch that started five million years ago and died out around 4,000 years ago.