A habitat-restoration project in the San Francisco Bay Area produced an unexpected artifact from a much older ecosystem: a Pacific mastodon tooth found in a creek.
The fossil measures roughly nine inches and is unusually complete, preserving the crown, root and visible root canal.
Mastodons lived across North America and disappeared roughly 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Researchers plan to date the find and study what it can reveal about the local environment.
The fossil was donated to Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability, which plans to make a 3D replica for education.
A geomorphologist working on habitat restoration in San Mateo County found an exceptionally preserved Pacific mastodon tooth in a creek. The roughly nine-inch fossil includes crown, root and visible root canal and will be studied at Stanford.