A complete fossilised jaw from a prehistoric giant - found in a New York backyard - has got scientists excited

A complete fossilised jaw from a prehistoric giant - found in a New York backyard - has got scientists excited

Researchers sink their teeth into new ‘stunning’ mastodon fossil

Published: December 20, 2024 at 11:40 am

Over eleven years since last finding Mastodon fossils, New York State Museum and SUNY Orange community college researchers have much to chew on with an exciting new discovery.

The team barely had to do any digging for the fossils either. As reported in a press release from NYSM, a homeowner in Orange County, New York spotted a couple of teeth poking through the earth under some plants in their garden.

After scraping away more soil, they quickly came across more of them.

“When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew they were something special and decided to call in the experts,” the homeowner said.

It’s safe to say that they certainly were, as after researchers came on site, they unearthed “a full, well-preserved mastodon jaw” in short order as well as part of a toe bone and a rib fragment.

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With the find, researchers are hoping to discover the age of the mastodon, as well as what made up its diet and habitat to better understand the iconic prehistoric animal.

Mastodon, belonging to the extinct family Mammutidae, split off from elephants and mammoths somewhere between 25 to 27 million years ago before going extinct 11,000 years ago.

Researchers attribute their disappearance to a combination of human hunting and climate change.

Though they were not quite as tall as African bush elephants, they are thought to have been considerably stockier than elephant species today weighing more than any of them.

After discovering such a treasure trove, the researchers are hoping that they can find even more fossils in the surrounding area.

It’s safe to say that the odds may be in their favour, as over 150 mastodon fossils have been found in New York State so far, with around a third of those being discovered in Orange County alone, making it somewhat of a hot spot for finding remains.

The earliest known record of a mastodon discovery was in New York State when a tooth fragment was found in 1705 along the Hudson River, making the discovery a full-circle moment.

Speaking of the discovery, Dr. Robert Feranec, director of Research and Collections and the curator of Ice Age Animals at the New York State Museum said “Each discovery like this one brings us one step closer to piecing together the full story of New York.”

Top image: The homeowner spotted a couple of teeth poking through the earth under some plants in their garden. Credit: New York State Museum

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