Ancient Treasure Unearthed: Woman Discovers Massive Foot-Long Mastodon Tooth on California Beach

A woman in California made a remarkable discovery while walking on a beach near her home. Lori Love found a massive, foot-long mastodon tooth that is believed to be from the Ice Age. Love, who is an avid beachcomber, said she was initially unsure what she had found. However, after doing some research, she realized the significance of the discovery. The tooth is estimated to be between 100,000 and 1.5 million years old and is likely from a mastodon, which is an extinct relative of the elephant. Mastodons roamed North America during the Ice Age before becoming extinct around 10,000 years ago. Love reported the discovery to the authorities, who confirmed the age and authenticity of the tooth. The tooth will be donated to a local museum to be displayed for the public. The discovery is a reminder that the natural world is full of surprises and that there is still much to learn about the history of our planet. Love's curiosity and passion for exploring the outdoors led to this exciting discovery, and it serves as an inspiration to others to keep their eyes open and be curious about the world around them.

A fall of a 10 year old boy faces something unusual

A ten-year-old boy who was hiking with his parents on the desert outskirts of his neighborhood in Las Cruces, New Mexico chanced upon a very rare fossil from the Pleistocene era. Jude Sparks said that he tripped and fell on the 1.2-million-year-old skull of a stegomastodon -- a massive prehistoric creature with tusks like an elephant. Sparks said that when he fell, his face landed next to the bottom jaw and when he looked further up, he saw another tusk. Currently, the fossil has been placed in the New Mexico State University’s Vertebrate Museum where researchers are studying it.  The stegomastodon is believed to be an ancestor to modern-day elephants. It is one of three species of proboscideans that roamed the ancient Rio Grande Valley and is believed to be an ancestor to modern-day elephants. Spark’s family contacted biologist Peter Houde who after obtaining permission from the property owner began the excavation along with his students. It took one week to excavate the skull as, according to Houde, the large skull is very delicate and was held together by the sediments around it. The team was able to carefully dig the skull out of the ground by applying chemical hardeners to the fossil, mimicking the bone strength provided by protein, to keep it intact.  Houde said that the process to reconstruct the skull, jaw and tusks may take years to complete.