Ira Johnson, 18, a guy living in the state of Missouri (USA) said that he has often gone treasure hunting with his father since he was 5 years old, so he always pays attention to look for unusual points on the ground. The real treasure has come to him: a “strange rock” that he returned to show his father has been confirmed to be a mastodon tooth, or “mastodon,” and possibly one of the last mastodon on earth. .
Graphic image depicting mastodons mastodonGraphic image depicting mastodon – (photo: WESTERN SCIENCE CENTER).
When Ian brought it home to show it to his father, the father and son suspected that the “strange rock” was not just a rock but a monstrous tooth, so they sent it for analysis. Researchers from the University of Iowa think this mastodon is about 10,000 years old.
Fossil teeth of mastodon have just been foundFossil teeth of mastodon have just been found – (photo: FOX2NOW).
This is not the first time “relics” of mastodon monsters have appeared in this area. Last year, a partial jawbone including teeth was found in neighboring Iowa, and was also analyzed by the University of Iowa. The person who found the fossil that time was also a teenager.
Ira Johnson, young ᴍᴀɴ discovered fossil “beast”Ira Johnson, a young ᴍᴀɴ discovered a “beast” fossil – (photo: FOX2NOW).
Mastodon is a member of the extinct genus Mammut, order Proboscidea, family Mammutidae, creatures known as mythical “mammoths”. Humorously, it has the name “mastodon” but does not belong to the Elephant family (Elephantidae). Meanwhile, another famous ice age beast is the woolly woolly mammoth of the genus Mammoth of the Elephant family.
According to American scientists, mastodon existed in the US from 34,000 years ago and became extinct 10,000 years ago, so the tooth that young Ira found may be the remains of one of the last individuals.