TWO University of York archaeologists have discovered a giant elephant tusk, thought to be eight million years old, in Abu Dhabi.

The two-and-a-half metre long tusk, the largest elephant fossil of its type found in the Middle East, was discovered by Dr Mark Beech, who recently finished his PhD at York.

Mark, a senior resident archaeologist for the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, discovered the tusk in Abu Dhabi's western region last October during survey work. Mark and fellow York graduate Will Higgs, a research associate in the university's Department of Archaeology, treated the tusk with chemicals to prevent it disintegrating, before covering it with a special foam and transporting it to be stored with a collection of fossils in the city of Abu Dhabi.

Mark said: "We were stunned by the discovery. Only a small part of the tusk was initially visible on the surface, although we suspected it might be an important find.

"Other elephant remains have been found in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, but this is much bigger."

Updated: 12:09 Friday, January 17, 2003