A New York state resident has found a complete mastodon jaw just below the surface of their lawn, after spotting two large teeth protruding from the ground.
Mastodons roamed the US north-east during the Pleistocene epoch, and there have been several notable mastodon discoveries in the region, including a complete 13,000-year-old skeleton in Hyde Park, New York, in 2000.
The latest discovery, of a jaw believed to be from an adult animal, was unearthed after an alert from the owner of the house in Scotchtown, Orange county, about 70 miles north of Manhattan.
Researchers from the New York State Museum and Suny Orange visited to fully reveal the jaw, along with a piece of a toe bone and a rib fragment.
The jaw is the first find of its kind to be found in New York in more than 11 years, and one of 150 mastodon fossils found across the state, about a third of them in Orange county.
Unlike mammoths, which ate grasses, mastodons are believed to have used their big, boxy teeth to clip and crush twigs, leaves, and other parts of shrubs and trees.
“While the jaw is the star of the show, the additional toe and rib fragments offer valuable context and the potential for additional research,” said Dr Cory Harris, Chair of Suny Orange’s behavioral sciences department.
“We are also hoping to further explore the immediate area to see if there are any additional bones that were preserved.”
Researchers are hoping to discover the age of the mastodon – a relative of the elephant – along with what the animal had been eating and details of its habitat.
Dr Robert Feranec, director of research and collections and curator of ice age animals at the New York State Museum, told NBC News that the discovery was a testament to the area’s rich paleontological history.
“This mastodon jaw provides a unique opportunity to study the ecology of this magnificent species, which will enhance our understanding of the ice age ecosystems from this region.”
