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SCIENTISTS have discovered an ancient mastodon skull that could show important clues about the creature’s interactions with humans.
The skull is thought to be almost 14,000 years old and was found in pristine condition.
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It was excavated earlier this month in Wayne County, Iowa, about an hour and a half drive from Des Moines, according to FOX affiliate WITI.
The mastodon skull was thought to be around 13,600 years old, according to radiocarbon dating.
This time frame corresponds to when humans occupied the area.
Archaeologists are hoping that the mastodon skull will provide clues about human interactions with the animal.
“We’re hoping to find evidence of human interaction with this creature – perhaps the projectile points and knives that were used to kill the animal and do initial butchering,” said John Doershuk, director at the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) in Iowa.
“There’s also potential evidence on the bones themselves – there could be identifiable cut marks,” he added.
The full excavation process took almost two weeks to complete.
The OSA was first made aware of potential interest in the excavation site in 2022.
According to Iowa Archeology, this mastodon skull is the “first ever well-preserved mastodon (primarily the skull) that has been excavated in Iowa.”
The bones of the skull will be displayed at a new exhibition at the Prairie Trails Museum once conservation and analysis are complete.
This will be carried out at the University of Iowa.
WHAT ARE MASTODONS?
Mastodons are large mammals that are quite similar to elephants.
They roamed North America from about 3.5 million years ago to about 10,500 years ago.
Mastodons reportedly became extinct due to human hunting and shifts in the climate.
This is just one of the numerous shocking discoveries scientists have made in recent times.
SHOCKING DISCOVERY
A giant claw of a moa bird was unearthed in Mount Owen, New Zealand.
The animal has been extinct for almost 800 years, making the discovery quite the breakthrough.
Another surprising discovery was made in Russia after a nearly perfectly preserved woolly rhino was found by miners.
Weird archaeological finds
This mastodon skull is not the first surprising discovery archaeologists have made. Here are some examples of other interesting finds:
“The Screaming Woman”
- A mummy was found in Egpty in 1935 and her face appeared to be frozen in a scream.
- Experts recently rebuilt the mysterious screaming mummy. They reconstructed her face using advanced technology.
Crocodile Cults
- A mummified crocodile was examined using a 3D X-ray scan to try and learn more about ancient religious cults.
- It was revealed that the crocodile was sacrificed by an Egyptian cult.
Mysterious Hobbits
- Experts have discovered the bones of hobbit-sized human species in Indonesia.
- The bones indicated that the species could have stood at just 3’3ft tall.
Shocked workers found the 10,000-year-old beast while digging for gold.
Meanwhile, scientists made a shocking finding about the famous Shroud of Turin earlier this month.
The piece of linen is imprinted with the image of a bearded man and believers have previously claimed that Jesus was wrapped in the shroud before he was buried.
Now new evidence suggests that the cloth was made around 2,000 years ago – the same period in which he was said to have lived and died.
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