In Iowa, a 13,000-year-old mastodon skull is discovered by archaeologists.

Iowa archaeologists reported that the excavation was completed in 12 days.

In Iowa, a 13,000-year-old mastodon skull is discovered by archaeologists.
In Iowa, a 13,000-year-old mastodon skull is discovered by archaeologists.

In Iowa, an ancient mastodon skull has been discovered by archaeologists in excellent condition, with the hope that it will shed light on past human interactions with the animal.

In 2022, the OSA was informed about an eroding site in Wayne, which led to the excavation of bones from a creek bank earlier this month. The process took nearly two weeks to complete.

Excavation of mastodon in Iowa
The excavation took nearly two weeks to complete.  (Office of the State Archaeologist, Iowa)

The age of the mastodon, determined through radiocarbon dating, matches the time when humans inhabited the region.

The bones will be closely examined by OSA to determine if there are any signs of human activity, such as cut marks.

Workers dig up mastodon in Iowa
The eroding creek was first brought to archaeologists' attention in 2022.  (Office of the State Archaeologist, Iowa)

"John Doershuk, director and state archaeologist at OSA, stated, "We hope to discover evidence of human interaction with this creature, such as projectile points and knives used to kill the animal and perform initial butchering. Additionally, there may be identifiable cut marks on the bones.""

Mastodon remains being examined in Iowa
Radiocarbon dating showed the remains to be around 13,600 years old.  (Office of the State Archaeologist, Iowa)

Elephants were large mammals that roamed North America from around 3.5 million years ago to around 10,500 years ago.

The first-ever well-preserved mastodon skull, primarily the skull, to be excavated in Iowa was announced by Iowa Archeology.

Mastodon skull in Iowa
Archaeologists said the bones were in excellent condition.  (Office of the State Archaeologist, Iowa)

The mastodon bones will be included in a new exhibit at the Prairie Trails Museum after conservation and analysis are finished at the University of Iowa.

by Bradford Betz

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