Rare find in the Bay Area
A fossilized molar from a mastodon estimated to be roughly 10,000 years old was discovered in San Mateo County, California, by geomorphologist Brigid Lynch. The tooth, reported to be in "immaculate condition," was found while Lynch was working at a local preserve, after she noticed what at first appeared to be an unusual rock.
Circumstances of the discovery
Lynch recognized the object as a mammalian tooth rather than a stone and identified it as a molar from a large, now-extinct proboscidean. The discovery adds to a body of evidence that mastodons once inhabited parts of what is now the western United States during the late Pleistocene and into the early Holocene.
Scientific context
Mastodons were large, elephant-like mammals that roamed North America until roughly the end of the last Ice Age about 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. Finds of well-preserved material such as this tooth can offer paleontologists information on the animal’s diet, health and the environments they inhabited as climates were changing at the close of the Pleistocene.
Potential next steps
The specimen will likely attract interest from regional paleontologists and museums for further study and conservation. Scientific analysis could include morphological comparison with other mastodon remains and, if conditions allow, tests that might shed light on the animal’s age, diet and the local environment at the time it lived.