Ancient human, giant sloth remains found in world's biggest flooded cave

Archaeologists exploring theworld's biggest flooded cave in Mexico have discovered ancienthuman remains at least 9,000 years old and the bones of animals thatroamed the earth during the last Ice Age.

A group of divers recently connected two underwater cavernsin eastern Mexico to reveal what is believed to be the biggestflooded cave on the planet, a discovery that could help shed newlight on the ancient Maya civilization.

The Yucatan peninsula is studded with monumental relics ofthe Maya people, whose cities drew upon an extensive network ofsinkholes linked to subterranean waters known as cenotes.

Researchers say they found 248 cenotes at the 347-km(216-mile) cave system known as Sac Actun, near the beach resortof Tulum. Of the 200 archaeological sites they have discoveredthere, around 140 are Mayan.

Some cenotes acquired particular religious significance tothe Maya, whose descendants continue to inhabit the region.

Apart from human remains, they also found bones of giantsloths, ancient elephants and extinct bears from the Pleistoceneperiod, Mexico's Culture Ministry said in a statement.

The cave's discovery has rocked the archeological world.

"I think it's overwhelming. Without a doubt it's the mostimportant underwater archaeological site in the world," saidGuillermo de Anda, researcher at Mexico's National Anthropologyand History Institute (INAH).

Ideal conditions for preservation

De Anda is also director of the Gran Acuifero Maya (GAM), aproject dedicated to the study and preservation of thesubterranean waters of the Yucatan peninsula.

According to the INAH, water levels rose 100 meters at theend of the Ice Age, flooding the cave system and leading to"ideal conditions for the preservation of the remains of extinctmegafauna from the Pleistocene."

The Pleistocene geological epoch, the most recent Ice Age,began 2.6 million years ago and ended around 11,700 years ago.