A complete mastodon jaw was discovered in the backyard of a home in New York’s Hudson Valley, marking the first such discovery in the state in more than a decade, officials announced this week .
The Stockton, New York, homeowner first spotted two teeth hidden in the fronds of a plant on his property and later discovered two more teeth buried just inches underground, the Museum of New York State. Staff at the museum, which is based in Albany and has an archaeological research department, and SUNY Orange launched an investigation into the property.
New York State Museum
Their excavations uncovered additional fossils, including a complete and well-preserved adult jaw and fragments of rib bones and toes that belonged to a juggernaut — ancient giants that existed during the Ice Age and disappeared about 10,000 years ago. The term refers to a group of massive, elephant-like species, such as the mammoth.
“When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew they were something special and decided to call in experts,” the owner said in a statement at the New York State Museum. “I am delighted that our property has resulted in such an important discovery for the scientific community.”
New York State Museum
Remains of mastodons have already been discovered in New York. According to the museum, more than 150 fossils of these prehistoric creatures have been documented to date across the state, with about a third coming from Orange County, where the last bones were discovered.
But experts say these results offer an opportunity to learn something new.
“This discovery is a testament to New York’s rich paleontological history and ongoing efforts to understand its past,” said Robert Feranec, research director and curator at the New York State Museum whose work focuses on animals from the ice age, in a press release. . “Fossils are resources that provide remarkable snapshots of the past, allowing us not only to reconstruct ancient ecosystems, but also to provide us with better context and understanding of the current world around us.”
The mastodon fossils will be subjected to carbon-15 dating and analysis to determine the creature’s age, diet and habitat when it was alive, the museum said. Once this analysis and subsequent preservation work is completed, the bones will be put on public display in 2025.
