Abu Dhabi: Nine new Late Miocene sites with six to eight million-year-old fossils have been discovered in Abu Dhabi's Western Region, Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (Adias) announced yesterday.

According to Peter Hellyer, Adias Executive Director, the new fossil sites were discovered by a team of experts during a survey on Friday.

He revealed this during the official inauguration of a permanent exhibition at Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) premises of fossils discovered in the emirate over the years.

The exhibition, Abu Dhabi 8 Million Years Ago, was opened by Majid Al Mansouri, EAD Secretary General.

Hellyer said the Adias team found a variety of fossils, including ostrich eggshells, catfish, elephant bones and fossilised tree roots.

The fossils, he added, were discovered near Bieda Al Mutawa'a in the Western Region of the emirate. The area where the latest and earlier discoveries were made stretches more than 4,000 square kilometres in the desert, which was similar to East African forests eight million years ago.

"It is a wide area, now a desert with well preserved fossilised roots, stretching a considerable distance, one of them over ten metres long," he explained.

About the species of the fossil root, Hellyer said though more study would be required to determine the species of the roots, it is probable that the trees are of the acacia species.

"Many of the fossil sites originally discovered in the 1990s have now disappeared and others are under threat from coastal development.

"At the same time, there are many areas which have not been surveyed and more important sites wait to be discovered.

"Those found should be preserved for the long-term cultural, educational and scientific benefit of the people of the UAE."

The displays include antelope, crocodile, hippopotamus, giraffe, hyena, ostrich, sabre-toothed cats and wolverine.

They also include the remains of freshwater catfish and turtles, as well as freshwater clam shells.

These indicate the presence of large rivers at that time.

He said more than 10,000 fossils had been discovered.

The UAE's capital was once a land of fertile plains and large rivers, research has found.

Almost eight million years ago numerous large animals, including ancestors of today's elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, gazelles, horses, ostriches, turtles and other species roamed the area.

Work by London's Natural History Museum, Yale University in the United States and the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey has recovered fossil bones including tusks and skulls of elephants, skulls of crocodiles and gazelles, and horse and hippopotamus teeth, among other remains.

The animals date back between six and eight million years.

Vegetation at the time included grass, shrubs and trees, including palm and acacia.