It’s common to encounter weeds around your backyard plants. But what about mastodon teeth? There aren’t that many.
A couple from Scotchtown, New York, discovered what turned out to be the tip of a fossilized iceberg. After finding two teeth hidden behind some leaves, I dug a little deeper and discovered two more. Then they decided to ask for help.
“When we found the tooth and held it in our hands to examine it, we knew it was something special and decided to call in a specialist,” said the resident, who requested anonymity in a statement to protect his privacy. press release.
skepticism and surprise
corey harrisAn archaeologist at the State University of New York was initially skeptical when the couple showed up at his office with a cardboard box. He was shown countless treasures, but in the end they were nothing more than strangely shaped rocks.
This time it was different.
Researchers from the New York State Museum and the State University of New York at Orange visited the site and ultimately unearthed the entire mastodon jawbone. Part of a toe bone and rib fragments were also unearthed.
“While the jaw is the star, additional fragments of toes and ribs provide valuable context and potential for further study,” Harris said in a press release. “We also want to further investigate the nearby area to see if there are any more preserved bones.”
read more: Prehistoric animal migration: first evidence found in mastodon tusks
mastodon marching ground
There is a good chance that more will appear. It has been more than 11 years since fossils of this kind have been found in New York, but they are not unusual. Approximately 150 mastodon fossils have been discovered throughout New York. The Ice Age mammal, which should not be confused with the large woolly mammoth, likely had an affinity for Orange County. This mammal is found in Orange County, and about one-third of the entire state.
One of the first (if not the first) was discovered by the preacher Robert Annan in 1780. He discovered a huge bundle of bones on his farm in Wallkill, New York, and somehow General George Washington, then commander of the Continental Army, got word of the discovery. He left his army in Newburgh and went on a sleigh to see 40 kilometers away. The site is several miles away from where the most recent mastodon bones were discovered.
Scientists plan to perform carbon dating on the fossils to determine when they walked through the neighborhood. They also plan to analyze the bones to learn more about its age, diet and habitat. After these studies are completed, the fossils will be displayed in a museum.
Gardeners in Orange County may take extra care when caring for their gardens.
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Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik was a science journalist for more than 20 years, specializing in U.S. life sciences policy and global scientific career issues. He started his career in newspapers but switched to scientific magazines. His research has appeared in publications such as Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.
