Remains of what appear to be six million year old bison and mammoth have been found in Puerto de la Cadena in Murcia by a tean carrying out work on the A-30.

Bones from various mammals and shell plates from gian tortoises were discovered in the same general area in 2006 by a team of paleontologists working in conjunction with the council to ensure the proper conservation of fossils found during roadworks.

In October 2008, during the course of producing the Environmental Impact project for the construction of the MU-31 motorway, a whole tortoise shell was discovered, which led to further, more extensive excavations.

These urgent excavations have led to the discovery of a number of shells belonging to giant land tortoises measuring approximately 1.6m in length and dating from the Miocene period, about six million years ago.
 
The latest fossils were found during the third emergency excavation being carried out by a team of professionals from the Paleontology Museum in Elche.

The area has a very high concentration of fossils and has so far produced a perfectly preserved mammoth tooth, bones from a hoofed mammal, similar to a bison, various rib bones and a vertebra.

In total, 262 paleontological remains have been recovered, some of which are now on show at Murcia's provincial Museum of Archeology.