Previously, there was little evidence that hunters intentionally attacked mammoths, an archaeologist with the institute, Luis Córdoba Barradas, said to reporters on Wednesday.

“It was thought they frightened them into getting stuck in swamps and then waited for them to die,” he said, according to The Guardian.

“This is evidence of direct attacks on mammoths,” he added. “In Tultepec we can see there was the intention to hunt and make use of the mammoths.”

Mr. Córdo b a said hunters may have traveled in groups of about 20 to 30, and used torches and branches to force animals into the traps. It is possible, he said, that a chain of traps had been built to increase the odds of capturing prey, and that more could be discovered.