Fossilized 10,000-year-old mastodon tooth found by California scientist
Molar from large mammal that once lived in North America is in ‘immaculate condition’ after discovery in Bay Area A 10,000 year-old tooth in remarkable condition from an ancient Pacific mastodon, a large mammal that once inhabited North America, was recently discovered by a California scientist. Brigid Lynch, a geomorphologist, was working at a preserve in San Mateo county, when she stumbled across a peculiar rock. Continue reading...
Molar from large mammal that once lived in North America is in ‘immaculate condition’ after discovery in Bay Area
A 10,000 year-old tooth in remarkable condition from an ancient Pacific mastodon, a large mammal that once inhabited North America, was recently discovered by a California scientist.
Paleontologists later confirmed it was not a stone, but an adult Pacific mastodon molar, according to a Wednesday news release from the Midpeninsula regional open space district (Midpen).
“The tooth itself is in immaculate condition. It’s the most complete mastodon molar from our area, and the most spectacular mastodon molar that I’ve ever seen. I had chills and shivers up and down my spine,” said paleontologist Wayne Thompson in a statement. “It’s another puzzle in the Ice Age saga that we can put into place.”
The pacific mastodon, related to modern-day elephants, were most prominent in the American west including what is now California , Oregon, the northern Rocky Mountain region and parts of Mexico. The herbivore mammal, which dates back about 2.5m years ago in North America, went extinct more than 10,000 years ago due to the climate crisis’s effects on their habitat coupled with overhunting from humans.