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The jawbone likely belonged to a Columbian mammoth. Fossil Junkies via Facebook
Smithsonian Magazine has a story about the discovery of a Mammoth jawbone in Florida. The bone was found in the Peace River near Arcadia, Florida. The Peace River is known for producing fossils from the Pleistocene. The bone is probably 10,000 years old and likely belonged to a Columbian mammoth.
A Florida fossil hunter made the discovery of a lifetime earlier this month when he pulled a mammoth jawbone from the bottom of a river.
John Kreatsoulas is no stranger to finding very old bones and teeth: He runs Fossil Junkies Dig and Dive Charters, a tour company that takes guests on fossil-hunting excursions in southwest Florida. But even he was surprised to find such a rare, well-preserved mandible under the water.
“You can hunt your whole life and not find anything like this,” Kreatsoulas tells NBC2 News’ Rachel Whelan.
Kreatsoulas was diving in the Peace River near Arcadia, Florida, in early November when he touched something he initially thought was a log. But it wasn’t a log—it was an ancient, 60-pound jawbone. He also discovered a pair of mammoth molars.
