Guwahati: The district administration in South Garo Hills, Meghalaya has ordered to close access temporarily to a cave near Tolegre village following the discovery of a potentially significant fossil.

Deputy Commissioner Shivansh Awasthi through an order restricted public entry to the cave until ongoing research is complete.

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This closure is aimed at ensuring the protection of the fossil while experts analyze it.

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The fossil, believed to be 35-40 million years old, was unearthed earlier this year by the Core Geo Expeditions, a non-profit organization.

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They suspect it may belong to either the extinct genera Rhodocetus or Ambulocetus, potentially representing a land ancestor of whales.

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To verify the discovery, the CGE requested the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to examine the fossil.

A GSI team is expected to arrive soon to authenticate the findings.