Fossilized 10,000-year-old mastodon tooth found by California scientist
Molar from large mammal that once lived in North America is in ‘immaculate condition’ after discovery in Bay Area A 10,000 year-old tooth in remarkable condition from an ancient Pacific mastodon, a large mammal that once inhabited North America, was recently discovered by a California scientist. Brigid Lynch, a geomorphologist, was working at a preserve in San Mateo county, when she stumbled…
A 10,000-year-old tooth belonging to an ancient Pacific mastodon, a large mammal once found in North America, was recently discovered by California scientist Brigid Lynch. The Pacific mastodon, a relative of modern-day elephants, was most prevalent in the American west, including areas now known as California, Oregon, the northern Rocky Mountain region, and parts of Mexico.
The herbivore mammal, which existed around 2.5 million years ago in North America, went extinct over 10,000 years ago due to the climate crisis's impact on their habitat and overhunting by humans. The remarkably well-preserved tooth, found by Lynch at a preserve in San Mateo county, is the most complete mastodon molar from the region and the most spectacular mastodon molar that Thompson, a paleontologist, has ever seen.
The tooth has been donated to Stanford University, where researchers will use carbon dating to determine its exact age. Fossils are crucial for understanding Earth's past, past wildlife, and the ecosystem they were a part of, according to Christine Garcia, a curator and manager of the geoscience specimen collection at Stanford. Studying fossils helps predict and improve decisions to ensure ecosystems and biodiversity thrive in the future.
Several ancient mastodon fossils have emerged in recent years, including a jaw found under a homeowner's lawn in New York state in 2024 and a foot-long ancient mastodon tooth discovered on a California beach in 2023.
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