After a recent discovery in Southern Chile, Chilean scientists hypothesize that Gomphotheres, an extinct relative of the modern elephant, may have been hunted by a group of locals.

The remains of several Gomphotheres dating back to 12,000 years were discovered recently near the glacial finger lake Tagua Tagua in southern Chile.

Scientists concluded that the extinct creatures weighed up to 4 tonnes and reached 3 meters (9.8 feet) in height.

"Because of their size and weight, we believe they were the target of group hunts from inhabitants in the region," claims the group of researchers.

"The hypothesis we're working with is that it's about hunting, hunting events," reported India Today quoting said Carlos Tornero, an archaeologist working on the site.

"We think this because the Gomphothere is a gigantic animal and dangerous and it probably required several people to hunt," the report added.

The discovery of this ancient elephant remains will also allow researchers to study the wider human impact on the region and how a changing climate affected animals in the area.

"We can get a lot of information from here, for example, with regards to climate change, how it affected animals," India Today further reported quoting said Elisa Calas, an archaeologist also working on the site.

"The influence humans had on the environment, which is very in line with what's happening now in terms of the environment," the report concluded.

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