New York Homeowner Discovers Complete Mastodon Jaw in Backyard

The rare find, the first in over a decade, includes additional bone fragments and offers new insights into Ice Age ecosystems.

A Scotchtown, New York resident unearthed a well-preserved mastodon jaw while gardening, marking the first such discovery in the state in 11 years.
The find also included a toe bone and rib fragment, with researchers planning further excavations to uncover additional fossils.
Mastodons, extinct relatives of elephants, roamed North America during the Ice Age and went extinct approximately 10,000 to 13,000 years ago.
The fossils will undergo carbon dating and analysis to determine the mastodon’s age, diet, and habitat, contributing to studies of Ice Age ecosystems.
The jaw and accompanying fragments will be displayed at the New York State Museum in 2025 as part of public programming.