A remarkable discovery in a California creek has scientists buzzing. Brigid Lynch, a geomorphologist from Balance Hydrologics, unearthed an ancient Pacific mastodon tooth while conducting a survey. Her work originally aimed at enhancing the habitat for the endangered California red-legged frog led to this historic find.
Mastodons, which were elephant-like herbivores, disappeared around 11,700 years ago, at the conclusion of the last Ice Age. This particular tooth could date back between 50,000 and 100,000 years, according to Wayne Thompson, CEO of Pacific Paleontology.
Pictures of the molar show its strange shape, which Lynch initially thought was an oddly shaped rock.
The tooth is in ‘immaculate condition,’ Wayne Thompson, CEO of Pacific Paleontology, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Thompson studied the fossil and the discovery site, explaining that the molar’s condition suggests minimal movement since the mastodon died. Fragile roots of the tooth remain intact, indicating it wasn’t disturbed by stream activity.
Thompson also hypothesized that the mastodon skeleton might still rest nearby, with the molar potentially disconnecting from a buried skull.
Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability researchers plan to carbon date the molar to pinpoint its age. They will also generate a 3-D scan for replication.
Mastodons preferred creek and river valleys, browsing on leaves instead of grasses like mammoths. They often fed on alder trees, which still grow along the creek where the tooth emerged.
This exploration continues, carrying hopes of uncovering more from this colossal creature’s hidden past.
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