'I honestly thought it was just a cow tooth or a horse tooth. I wasn't thinking much about it. When I figured out what it was, I was astonished,' said 18-year-old Ira Johnson, of Jameson.
A fact-sheet about the American mastodon published by the San Diego Natural History Museum says the species became extinct 13,000 years ago. Similar in size to modern-day elephants—but smaller than mammoths—they had trunks and tusks.
The website explains:"Mastodons were herbivores. Unlike mammoths, whose ridged molars were used for grazing on grasses, mastodons' teeth were used for clipping and crushing twigs, leaves and other parts of shrubs and trees. Most of the plants they ate were ones that grew near swamps and wet areas in woodlands."
Evidence suggests the American mastodon was widespread across all of North America and well-preserved hair and near complete skeletons have been found. "I honestly thought it was just a cow tooth or a horse tooth," Johnson told the paper."I wasn't thinking much about it. When I figured out what it was, I was astonished."
Speaking to Fox2Now, the teen said that next summer he plans to travel along the river on a kayak to explore further. He told thethat his uncle had also found a partial mastodon tooth around the same place about five years ago, so he plans to stick to that region. For now, however, additional fossils have remained elusive.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
10 Years On, Twitter Is Shaping The Spread Of K-Pop2020 marks the tenth year of K-pop's rise on Twitter, and Twitter Korea is celebrating by commemorating all its milestones and exploring how K-pop's grown on the site.
Read more »
10 Things That’ll Almost Definitely Sell Out: From Stüssy to Jimmy ChooIncluding the “most expensivest” bedazzled Timberlands, Martha Stewart–branded CBD, a hypebeast-approved candle, and more.
Read more »
10 Little Life Hacks People With Rheumatoid Arthritis Swear ByThese tips may help you get through the day.
Read more »
Belarus police detain at least 10 protesters in Minsk - TASSBelarus police detained more than ten protesters in Minsk on Sunday, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing Belarus police.
Read more »