9 million-year-old fossils are being unearthed by MAKÜ academics

The fossil excavations that have been ongoing since 2022 in the agricultural land of Denizli's Kayaca Neighborhood continue to provide significant data to the scientific world. While the Denizli Museum Directorate leads the studies carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Associate Professor Dr. Ahmet İhsan Aytek, a faculty member of the Department of Anthropology at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, provides scientific consultancy.

In the excavations carried out with the participation of experts from various universities, numerous animal fossils dating back 7 to 9 million years were unearthed as a result of studies conducted over 18 days this year.

More than 600 fossils found

Associate Professor Dr. Ahmet İhsan Aytek, stating that the third year of the excavations has been completed, said that they have found approximately 600 identifiable fossils so far. Aytek noted that they encountered the most giraffe remains, saying, “We identified two different giraffe species. This indicates that there were both forested and open areas in the region during that period. In addition, fossils of rhinoceros, horse, bovids, and elephants were also uncovered. With the new findings, the number of distinct species identified in the area has increased to 27.”

Bird and reptile fossils attract attention

Aytek emphasized that the discovery of bird fossils is particularly important, stating, “Bird bones are difficult to fossilize due to their structure. However, the new samples we obtained this year reveal that the fossils in the region are very well preserved. Two bird species had been identified in previous years. The latest findings indicate the presence of one or two new species.”

Aytek mentioned that they also reached a remarkable find related to reptiles this season, stating that they discovered a tooth fossil belonging to the genus Varanus: “Previously, it had only been found in one region in Turkey, and systematic excavations had not been conducted there. Therefore, the find in Kayaca will provide important information about the habitat and evolution of the species.

A first in Turkey: Fossils will be archived in three dimensions

Associate Professor Dr. Ahmet İhsan Aytek shared important information about the ongoing studies. Aytek said, “The fossils found in the area are processed through conservation procedures in our university's Anthropology laboratories and made ready for scientific research. In addition, with a new application we started this year, we began taking a three-dimensional record of the area. We scan fossil-dense areas using a special scanner and create a three-dimensional map of the area. Thus, we will be able to record the distribution of fossils much more clearly. Additionally, with the three-dimensional archiving system we plan to establish within our university, both these fossils and the human skeletons in our laboratories will be gathered in a large database. This study is a first in Turkey,” he said.

Kayaca vertebrate fossil locality 2025 studies

As of 2025, an important development occurred for the Kayaca Vertebrate Fossil Locality. The first scientific article related to the area was published in Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, one of the respected journals in its field. Unlike many fossil sites in Turkey, the Kayaca Locality was not a previously known or studied area. Therefore, it was first necessary to introduce the area to the scientific world. The first findings related to Kayaca were shared with the international scientific community with the article titled “Kayaca, a new vertebrate locality from the Upper Miocene of Türkiye and its importance for the Turolian biogeography of the eastern peri-Mediterranean region” published in July.

Associate Professor Dr. Aytek stated that their aim in the subsequent process is to publish detailed scientific studies on different animal groups found in the region.