Paleontologists from the University of Michigan rushed to a nearby soy field after a farmer discovered a nearly complete wooly mammoth skeleton.
Farmers in northern Michigan have made a shocking discovery when they unearthed a wooly mammoth from a soy field this Thursday. The Washington Post reports that scientists excavated the majority of the mammoth’s skeleton, including the skull, tusks, spine, and the majority of the beast’s ribs. They also found the mammoth’s shoulder blades, pelvis, and one of its kneecaps.
The farmer that discovered the fossils, James Bristle, initially thought he was simply digging up an old fence post. Upon further inspection, however, he realized that he had stumbled upon a massive ribcage. He knew he needed to contact the University of Michigan immediately.
According to a report from MLive, the find was one of the most significant discoveries of a mammoth fossil in Michigan’s history.
So far, there have been about 300 mastodon and 30 mammoth fossils discovered in the state of Michigan. According to the director of the Museum of Paleontology and a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan, Dan Fisher, these two extinct species roamed the forests and farmlands of Michigan up until their disappearance about 11,700 years ago.
Both Mastodons and wooly mammoths belonged to the Proboscidean family. Mastodons appeared first, about 5.1 million years ago. Wooly mammoths didn’t evolve until 250,000 years ago, though researchers believe that the two species probably existed alongside each other for a period of time.
Professor Fisher led the excavation on Thursday. He has traveled the globe in search of mastodon and mammoth fossils, with a focus on the permafrost of Siberia. In 36 years of work, he has uncovered nearly 30 mastodons and mammoths in North America.