‘Really Unique’ Mastodon Skeleton Found In Michigan

Road crews in Kent County, Michigan, have been digging up the bones of a "really unique" mastodon skeleton, according to USA Toady.

The remains, which date back to the Ice Age, were found at a road construction site Thursday (August 11). Experts originally thought just a couple of bones were discovered, but were shocked to learn otherwise. The team found a lower jawbone, ribs, vertebrae and leg bones. Paleontology experts hope to find a skull and husks while the site is still under construction.

"It’s not that often that you find a skeleton this complete. It’s probably about 40%-60% complete just based on initial field assessment, and so when we got there and we realized there was a lot more to the animal, we were really excited about it," Dr. Cory Redman, the Grand Rapids Public Museum's science curator, said. "One of the things that makes this find really unique, besides being local, is all the bones appear to come from a single juvenile mastodon."

The bones are now on their way to Grand Rapids Public Museum's archive center to be preserved and studied. The remains of more than 300 confirmed mastodons, which are cousins of the mammoth, have been found in Michigan.