Miners discovered an ancient mammoth tusk in North Dakota. The animal could have lived up to 100,000 years ago.
Bismarck/North Dakota – In May of last year, miners made an extraordinary discovery in the Freedom Mine in North Dakota. It was an approximately two meter long tusk from an ancient mammoth – paleontologists found other bones.
Miners find ancient mammoth remains: They died out 10,000 years ago
After the miners' discovery, a team of paleontologists set out to search for further evidence of life. In addition to the tusk, they found over 20 other bones of a mammoth skeleton, like the one in North Dakota Geological Survey, the main source of geological information in the state, was previously reported by the team on December 18, 2023. These include ribs, a shoulder blade and parts of the hips. In total, the team spent twelve days excavating the former riverbed in which the fossils were buried thousands of years ago.
It has not yet been possible to clearly determine how long the skeleton had lain there. Mammoths lived in North Dakota during the Pleistocene Epoch, called the Ice Age. According to the North Dakota Geological Survey, mammoths in this area became extinct about 10,000 years ago.
After the bones have been completely cleaned, the aim is to identify what type of mammoth it was. At that time, several species of mammoth lived in North America, including the woolly mammoth and the Columbian mammoth. Another study revealed that 99 percent of the human population died out 800,000 years ago.
Paleontologists make incredible discovery: mammoth remains could be 100,000 years old
One of the North Dakota Geological Survey's paleontologists expressed surprise at the condition of the mammoth tusk. He would have assumed that it would suffer significantly more damage due to the miners' equipment. “It's a miracle that he escaped virtually unscathed,” said paleontologist Jeff Person. The researchers estimated the tusk's age to be between 10,000 and 100,000 years old.
His colleague Clint Boyd was enthusiastic because “most mammoth fossils are just individual bones and teeth.” The skeleton now found is “one of the most complete mammoth skeletons we have ever found in North Dakota. This is an exciting and scientifically immensely important discovery.” It could take some time to determine how long the mammoth has been there: “The process of cleaning and stabilizing the bones is a lengthy one.” A gold digger in the USA found the last year a 30,000 year old squirrel. (rd)
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