A Stone Age burial ground located by an ancient lake in the Sahara Desert is filled with the remains of people, fish, and crocodiles who lived during a period when the desert was green, according to researchers. The 10,000-year-old site in Niger, known as Gobero, was first found in 2000, but a full report has only now been compiled by University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno. The team discovered the site while searching for dinosaur fossils and realized they were in an area that was once a green Sahara. The site contains over 200 graves from two separate settlements that were 1,000 years apart. A woman and two children, their arms intertwined, were buried on a bed of flowers approximately 5,000 years ago, which is considered one of the most dramatic discoveries. The older group, known as Kiffians, were tall and robust hunter-gatherers who left the area during a long drought that occurred around 8,000 years ago. Another group, the Tenerians, settled in the area between 7,000 and 4,500 years ago. These were smaller, shorter individuals who engaged in hunting, herding, and fishing. Both groups left behind numerous artifacts such as tool kits, fishhooks, ceramics, and jewelry, according to researchers. Chris Stojanowski, a bioarchaeologist from Arizona State University, remarked that it is difficult to believe that two very different groups of people would bury their dead in the same location. The Sahara Desert has been the world's largest desert for many years, but changes in the Earth's orbit 12,000 years ago brought monsoons further north temporarily. The team used various methods, such as sampling tooth enamel from skeletons, examining pollen, bones, soil, and tools to determine the dates of the site, artifacts, and remains. The researchers stated in their report that the data from Gobero, along with other sites in North Africa, show that we are just starting to comprehend the intricate history of biosocial evolution in the Sahara amidst significant climate changes.