In 2022 an Iowa resident noticed something strange sticking out of the ground along the creek bed.
After a closer look, he found that it looked like a bone, so he reported it to the authorities.
Experts came in to take a look and got quite the surprise.
The bone was a full femur of a mastodon. Mastodons have been extinct for a long time now, and this is the first time a well-preserved specimen has been found in the state.
The area was secured and archeologists started raising the needed funds to complete a full investigation and excavation.
In August of 2024, the archeologists engaged in a 12-day dig where they were able to pull out a skull, tusk, and several other bones of the animal.
These bones were remarkably well-preserved.
The radiocarbon testing of the bones found that the mastodon lived around 13,600 years ago, which was near the end of the last ice age. While relatively modern compared to some other archeological finds, it is still quite impressive.
Mastodons lived from 3.5 million years ago until about 10,500 years ago, so this one was right near the end of their existence.
Humans were already living in this region of the world when this mastodon lived, so it is possible that it interacted with humans, and may have even been hunted by them.
John Dorshuk of the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist released a statement saying:
“We’re really hoping to find evidence of human interaction with this creature — perhaps the projectile points and knives that were used to kill the animal and do the initial butchering. There’s also potential evidence on the bones themselves — there could be identifiable cut marks.”
The bones will be fully preserved and studied further before being put on display at Prairie Trails Museum.
This sounds like an incredible find.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?