Mammoth tusk discovery in Mississippi astonishes scientists
This is the first discovery of its kind in the region, reports Live Science, which writes about finding a gigantic mammoth tusk weighing 270 kilograms and measuring 2 metres in length in the American city of Madison, Mississippi.
We read that Eddie Templeton was walking through the wild areas of Mississippi. During his hike, he accidentally encountered a partially submerged object resembling a tusk from a distance. When he approached it, he realised he had likely found remnants of what could have been a mammoth or mastodon.
He was walking and came across a mammoth tusk
Templeton's discovery became even more exciting when scientists arrived at the site. According to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the accidental discoverer had found a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) tusk.
“When I found out it was a mammoth and not a mastodon, I got even more excited. I've never found any part of a mammoth. I've always hoped to find part of one, but it's quite rare here,” Templeton said in an interview with the local newspaper "The Clarion-Ledger".
Discovery in the USA
James Starnes, a geologist at MDEQ, confirmed that mammoth tusks in the Mississippi region generally "are not well-preserved". However, Templeton’s find differs from similar discoveries in this area. The tusk he discovered is almost intact, which means scientists can examine the structure more closely and better understand the history of the Columbian mammoths that lived in Mississippi.
Live Science reports that finding a well-preserved mammoth component in Mississippi is uncommon. Although American mastodons (Mammut americanum) once lived in this area, feeding on local vegetation and moving through different environments, the Columbian mammoths were more selective. They required open and grassy areas, thus living in only two regions of Mississippi.
These animals lived during the Pleistocene epoch, which lasted from 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. They arrived in North America about 1.5 million years ago. An adult could reach a height of 4.5 metres and weigh up to 9 tonnes. Columbian mammoths are estimated to have gone extinct around 12,000 years ago, due to melting glaciers, shrinking habitats, and intensified human hunting. The last known mammoths lived 3,700 years ago on Wrangel Island (off the coast of Alaska).
