10,000-Year-Old Mastodon Tooth Found Pristine

A geomorphologist working in San Mateo County recently unearthed a fossilized molar belonging to a Pacific mastodon, an ancient North American mammal. Paleontologists have since confirmed the discovery, hailing the 10,000-year-old tooth as being in "immaculate condition" and the most complete specimen found in the region. This remarkable find has been donated to Stanford University's school of sustainability. Researchers there will use carbon dating to determine its exact age. The Pacific mastodon, related to modern elephants, roamed western North America until its extinction over 10,000 years ago, likely due to climate change and human overhunting. Fossils like this molar provide crucial opportunities to study past wildlife, ecosystems, and biodiversity, aiding future conservation efforts. Recent years have seen other mastodon fossil discoveries, including a jawbone in New York and a large tooth on a California beach.