Ancient mastodon molar unearthed during habitat survey in San Mateo County
A geomorphologist discovered a perfectly preserved Pacific mastodon tooth while surveying a creek in a San Mateo County open-space preserve.
During a field survey aimed at enhancing habitat for the endangered California red-legged frog, geomorphologist Brigid Lynch of Balance Hydrologics noticed a strange rock in a creek within the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space preserve. After reviewing a photo, she identified the object as an exceptionally preserved upper left third molar belonging to a Pacific mastodon, a species recently distinguished from the American mastodon.
Paleontologist Wayne Thompson of Pacific Paleontology called it the most spectacular mastodon molar from the area. The specimen has been given to Stanford University's Doerr School of Sustainability, where researchers plan carbon dating to determine its age, diet and the Ice Age climate of the region. Scientists note that mastodons roamed the area until about 11,700 years ago, and the find underscores the recent presence of these megafauna in the local landscape.
Why it matters
The tooth offers rare insight into Ice Age megafauna, regional climate and the timing of mastodon extinction.
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