[Rockhounds] NY homeowner makes jaw-dropping mastodon discovery in backyard 1 day ago

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

A New York resident has unearthed a mastodon jaw protruding out of the
topsoil in the backyard of their home, the first such find in more than 11
years.

Researchers, who were alerted to the jaw-dropping scientific discovery in
Orange County, spent about two and a half days digging at the home,
uncovering more mastodon bone fragments and a complete adult jaw.

Mastodons are related to the modern day elephant and now-extinct mammoths.
Historians say the ancient beasts lived across the Earth, but only fossils
found in North America have been strictly identified.

"I'm thrilled that our property has yielded such an important find for the
scientific community," the homeowner said in a statement.

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

The mastodon jaw recovered by the staff from the New York State Museum and
the State University of New York is well preserved and can help provide
insight as to which creatures inhabited the area during the Ice Age.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c05p9gld4v9o