Diver unearths prehistoric tusk treasure off Florida coast
Not far from the coast of Florida, an unusual situation took place. Alex Lundberg, a diver and "treasure hunter," came across a scarce find. Initially, he thought he had pulled a piece of wood from the ocean floor, but he soon realized he had accidentally discovered something far more valuable – a large fragment of a mastodon tusk.
Preliminary examinations and measurements have already indicated that this is a significant fragment of a tusk from an extinct animal. It measures approximately 1.2 metres in length and weighs nearly 31 kilograms. It was found at a depth of about 8 metres near Venice Beach, Florida.
“In a sense, we knew something like this could be in the area,” said Lundberg in an interview with The Independent, referring to previous discoveries in the region. He added that as he brushed away the sand, he noticed the object “was getting bigger and bigger.” After extracting it, he realised he had discovered something more valuable than a piece of wood.
Fragment of mastodon tusk on the ocean floor
Mastodons are extinct proboscideans that do not belong to the elephant family. They resembled the elephants we are familiar with but differed in having very abundant hair, different teeth, and a pair of mighty tusks.
Scientists believe that mastodons disappeared from Earth (as a result of hunting and drastic climate changes) about 10,000 - 9,000 years ago. They mainly inhabited the swampy and densely forested areas of present-day North America, although remains of some species have also been found in present-day Africa and Eurasia. They usually grew to about 2.4 - 3 metres in height at the shoulder, depending on the species. The giant mastodon, Mastodon borsoni, stood out, reaching up to 4 metres at the shoulder and weighing up to 14,500 kilograms while also having the longest tusks by far.
Diver would like to keep the find
Alex Lundberg is storing the find in his home and would like it to stay with him longer. However, it is uncertain if that will happen. According to Florida law, vertebrate fossils found on land, which includes local coastal waters, belong to the authorities and the Florida Museum of Natural History. Like other such finds, the mastodon tusk fragment must be reported to the museum, where decisions will be made regarding its future.
“The museum will review the discoveries and look at the location to determine their significance. The current holder will be allowed to keep the fossils if the museum does not request them within 60 days of reporting. This could be a significant find, depending on exactly where it was discovered,” said Rachel Narducci of the Florida Museum of Natural History.
