Prehistoric discovery in New Mexico

Fossils belonging to a massive prehistoric elephant discovered in New Mexico by a group attending a bachelor party. Gavino Garay reports.

Published

over 3 years ago

Categories

US, Science

Topics

United States, Paleontology

Places

United States of America, New Mexico

Transcript

It certainly isn't what you'd expect to stumble across while strolling along the beach... The fossilized skull belonging to what was a stegomastodon - massive prehistoric elephant. The prehistoric bones surfaced after they were washed up in Elephant Butte beach, in New Mexico. The skull was discovered by a group attending a bachelor party, who saw the bones sticking out of the sand. Gary Morgan is a Paleontologist at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. He says he's never seen anything like this. GARY MORGAN / PALEONTOLOGIST, NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND SCIENCE "This is the most complete of any of them I've found including the younger mastodons and mammoths from the ice age, this is older than that... This mastodon was living drinking feeding alongside the ancient Rio Grande three-million years ago... As we've dug around we haven't seen any other bones, so all the limb bones, the skeleton seem to be missing" The elephant itself is estimated to have weighed as much as 13,000 pounds. Crews from the New Mexico State Parks and volunteers worked to uncover the skull. What they're able to remove will then be transported to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Park officials say the scull may offer more insight into the prehistoric elephant than ever before.