(DCWatchdog.com) – In an impressive and extraordinary discovery, a fossil enthusiast in Madison County, Mississippi, found a 7-foot-long huge mammoth tusk last month.
Watch the video further down this post.
According to a report, Eddie Templeton discovered the tusk during an exploration in early August.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) informed that the tusk, about seven feet long, was partly exposed in a steep embankment.
Furthermore, the MDEQ believed the tusk belonged to a Columbian mammoth, a species that roamed the Jackson Prairie in central Mississippi during the last Ice Age.
“This is the first Columbian mammoth tusk found in this area, which makes this discovery even more extraordinary,” said an MDEQ representative in a statement.
The Columbian mammoth, much larger than the woolly mammoth, could stand up to 15 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh over 10 tons.
In addition, the tusk has been moved to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson for further analysis and preservation.
While museum paleontologists confirmed its identity, they highlighted how such discoveries provide valuable insights into the region’s prehistoric wildlife.
According to the National Park Service, the Columbian mammoth was a massive creature that lived in North America.
Unlike its woolly cousin, the Columbian mammoth adapted to warmer climates, preferring grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands.
With long, curved tusks used for foraging, these mammoths likely lived in matriarchal herds similar to modern elephants.
They were herbivores, feeding on grass, shrubs, and other vegetation. The species went extinct about 12,000 years ago.
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