Fossil hunters in the Michigan have unearthed the bones of a mastodon which they claim is the most complete skeleton recovered in the region since the 1940s.
The enormous Ice Age beast would have roamed the region almost 13,000 years ago, and may have been taken down by a group prehistoric human hunters, before laying undisturbed in the soil for millennia.
While hundreds of mastodon have been recovered in the state, with the oxygen poor soil preserving the bones, the recent find is one of only a handful of near complete specimens.
A dig in the midwestern US has uncovered a mastodon. The remains of the Ice Age beast, one of the most complete specimens uncovered in decades (pictured), would have roamed the region almost 13,000 years ago and may have been killed by prehistoric human hunters
The bones, uncovered in Michigan’s Maryville region, could account for as much as 70 per cent of the entire animal, with many of the bones found connected in their original positions.
Researchers from the University of Michigan (UM) led the dig, which recovered the majority of the remains, after a handful of bones were initially found at the site two years ago.
Students at an outdoor learning camp were exploring the grounds when they stumbled across huge bones, exposed by the eroding soil.
During a four-day excavation last week, the team was able to recover the rest of the animal, unearthing most of the beast’s huge limb bones along with its skull and enormous shoulder blades and hip bone.
It is believed to be one of less than 10 near-complete specimens found in the state.
Researchers from the University of Michigan led the dig (pictured), which recovered the majority of the remains, after a handful of bones were initially found at the site two years ago
Mastodons are believed to have emerged earlier than their woolly cousins, almost 30 million years ago (illustrated)
MAMMOTH OR MASTODON?
During the last Ice Age, two elephant-like giants dominated North America: the mastodon and the woolly mammoth.
While the two creatures have similar characteristics, they were two distinct species.
Mastodons are believed to have emerged earlier than their woolly cousins, almost 30 million years ago.
They are thought to have been forest dwelling herbivores with molars that could crush twigs and branches.
The larger mammoth emerged later, around 5 million years ago.
While taller and hairier than modern elephants they are thought to have grazed in the same way as their living relatives.
‘This is the most complete Michigan mastodon skeleton in many decades,’ said Daniel Fisher, a paleontologist at UM, who led the dig.
Such Ice Age finds have proven to be something of a frequent occurrence in the region, due to the soil conditions.
Last year, homeowners in Bellevue carrying out works on a property uncovered 42 mastodon bones while digging in their backyard, including hip and shoulder bones.
Later in 2015, farmers in Lima Township unearthed a haul of mammoth bones, including the huge skull and tusks.
Professor Fisher confirmed both sets of remains.
With the recent mastodon find, the fact that the bones were found in the same spot and articulated – arranged in the same positions relative to one another – could be the smoking gun for a death by human hunters.
If the animal died of natural causes, it would likely have been picked apart by scavengers, scattering the bones.
‘I would say it is roughly 80 percent likely that humans were involved and responsible for major portions of what we see at this site,’ explained Professor Fowler.
The researcher indicates that hunters may have stored the animal’s meat in a frigid pond, with the cold, low-oxygen waters helping to preserve meat.