They must have initially looked like strange rocks to the unsuspecting resident of Orange County, New York.
But the state’s paleontological discovery of the decade? Nobody could have expected to find that in their own backyard.
The homeowner discovered the two weird objects protruding from the soil and obscured by foliage, according to a Dec. 17 news release from the New York State Museum.
The resident — who did not want to be identified, according to the Associated Press — then discovered another pair of the objects buried further below the ground before realizing what they were.
“When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew they were something special and decided to call in the experts,” the resident said, according to the museum. “I’m thrilled that our property has yielded such an important find for the scientific community.”
But the teeth were just the beginning.
If you made a discovery like this, would you call the experts and risk disrupting your life, or would you keep the find to yourself?
Call the experts: 100% (3 Votes)
Keep it to yourself: 0% (0 Votes)
Researchers from the New York State Museum and State University of New York – Orange made more discoveries after excavating.
Those discoveries included a full adult mastodon jaw, a rib fragment and a piece of toe bone.
“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.”
A Mastodon Discovery!🦣
A homeowner near Scotchtown, NY, uncovered a complete mastodon jaw in their backyard—the first find of its kind in over 11 years! Excavated by @nysmuseum & @SUNY_Orange, the fossils will shed light on NY’s Ice Age past.Learn more: https://t.co/MxYOPUpMYp pic.twitter.com/T92iYrb0C8
— New York State Museum (@nysmuseum) December 17, 2024
Harris told the New York Times he was apprehensive when the couple who found the fossils approached him with a cardboard box containing their discovery.
“More often than not, it’s a weird rock,” he said of the amateur archaeologists who have come to him in the past.
His attitude changed when he took a look inside the box.
“I was crazy excited,” he told the Times. “It was the same old-school excitement I felt when I got into this field in the first place.”
Mastodons are the ancient Ice Age relatives of modern elephants, according to the New York State Museum.
This latest discovery was made near Scotchtown, about 70 miles northwest of New York City, the AP reported.
The find is the first of its kind in 11 years for the Empire State.
To date, more than 150 mastodon fossils have been found statewide, one-third of them being found in Orange County.
“This discovery is a testament to the rich paleontological history of New York and the ongoing efforts to understand its past,” said Dr. Robert Feranec, director of Research & Collections and curator of Ice Age Animals at the New York State Museum.
“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. Fossils are resources that provide remarkable snapshots of the past, allowing us to not only reconstruct ancient ecosystems but also provide us with better context and understanding of the current world around us.
The fossils will undergo carbon dating and analysis to determine the creature’s age, diet and other factors relating to its original habitat.
After it’s preserved and analyzed, it will be available for public viewing in 2025.
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