Divers discover 500,000-year-old treasure trove of fossils in Florida sinkhole

Fossil collectors have discovered a prehistoric graveyard buried in Florida’s Steinhatchee River.
The site has yielded a remarkable collection of more than 500 fossils dating back roughly half a million years. It was full of exceptionally well-preserved bones from ancient mammals, including horses, giant armadillos, sloths and possibly a new species of tapir.
Around 500,000 years ago, before the river flowed over the site, a sinkhole opened up in Florida’s Big Bend region and became a death trap for hundreds of animals. Sediment filled the sinkhole over time, entombing their remains in near-pristine condition.