Geological Museum Launches Fossil Fauna of Sulawesi`s Endemic

TEMPO.CO, Bandung - The Geological Museum, Bandung launches a new collection of fossil fauna of Sulawesi's endemic species, Saturday, August 11. The most complete fossil displayed was a huge boar, identified as Celebochoerus heekereni. The animal is expected to live in the past 2-3 million years in Celebes Island.

The collection was displayed in Patio Room, the first floor of the museum. Other than the boar fossil, there were giant turtle shells and an elephant-like animal who had four ivory teeth.

“Around 85 percent of the boar fossil is genuine, the other is additional,” said the museum head Iwan Kurniawan to Tempo in Bandung.

The discovery on the fossil fauna of Sulawesi’s endemics is the result of research which conducting from 1986 until 1992. “The research takes a long time and costs huge funds,” said the geological unit head Rudi Suhendar after the opening ceremony.

The main researcher of the team Fachroel Aziz said the discovery spots of vertebrate fossils located in several areas, including Wallanae valley, South Sulawesi, Betue, Central Sulawesi, until Pintareng, Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi.

Fachroel said a Dutch researcher Van Heekeren in 1947 was the first to find the boar fossil of its huge fangs at Beru Village, Wallanae valley.

ANWAR SISWADI