According to experts, the “rough diamond” discovered by this man is considered extremely rare.
Unexpected Discovery of a 10 Million-Year-Old “Rough Diamond”
According to Dailymail, Alex Lundberg, a 29-year-old American, was diving with friends near Venice Beach when he unexpectedly encountered an object that resembled a strange piece of wood. Upon retrieving it, the group discovered that it was actually a tusk measuring over 1 meter long, found at a depth of nearly 8 meters underwater.
A man found a “rough diamond” of paleontology while diving with friends. (Photo: Dailymail).
Afterward, Alex and his friends took the tusk to the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton. According to an expert, this tusk belonged to a Mastodon – a distant relative of the woolly mammoth. The expert also advised Alex to report his discovery to the Florida Museum of Natural History to determine its scientific value.
Typically, in the area around Venice Beach, people only find fragments of prehistoric shark teeth or broken pieces of woolly mammoth tusks. Therefore, Alex’s find is considered incredibly rare.
Alex’s discovery is considered extremely rare. (Photo: Dailymail).
Alex shared with Dailymail that when he lifted the Mastodon tusk from the sea floor, it was intact and undamaged. Alex said: “At first, I only saw a small strip sticking out of the sand. So, I started to dig and saw its cross-section and realized it looked like a tusk. Then we made a strap from a beach towel and hung it on the side of the boat. It was strange that it was still whole, not broken at all.”
Experts estimate that this tusk is about 10 million years old. Mastodon tusks, which are usually only a few inches long, can sell for between $20 and $350, but Alex’s tusk, weighing 60 pounds (over 27 kg), is likely valued at around $5,000 (over 125 million VND).
Mastodon – A Relative of the Woolly Mammoth
The Mastodon is a member of the extinct genus Mammut within the order Proboscidea and comprises the family Mammutidae. They are similar yet distinct from the woolly mammoth. Unlike woolly mammoths, they do not belong to the Elephantidae family.
Though the Mastodon resembles the woolly mammoth, they are not of the same species. (Photo: Dailymail).
They lived in North and Central America approximately 27 to 30 million years ago. Although the Mastodon resembles the woolly mammoth, they are not of the same species. The most noticeable differences between the two species are found in the ears and forehead. These parts of the woolly mammoth are smaller than those of the Mastodon.
The Mastodon differs from the woolly mammoth primarily in the conical and blunt protrusions on their molars, which reflects their adaptation for chewing leaves rather than the high-crowned teeth of woolly mammoths adapted for grazing.
Their skulls are larger and flatter compared to those of woolly mammoths, while their skeletons are sturdier and more robust. Some discovered skeletons still bear hair; analyses of the hair suggest that Mastodons lacked the internal insulating fur of woolly mammoths.
Some evidence suggests that males may have used tusks in mating battles. (Photo: Pixabay).
Mastodon tusks can sometimes exceed 5 meters in length and are nearly horizontal, in contrast to the more curved tusks of woolly mammoths. The tusks may have been used for breaking branches, although some evidence suggests that males might have used them in mating contests; typically, one tusk is shorter than the other, suggesting that, like modern humans and elephants, Mastodons may have exhibited unilateral development. Examination of fossil tusks revealed a series of shallow pits evenly distributed on the underside of the tusk.
Microscopic analysis indicates damage to the tusk beneath the pits. It is hypothesized that this damage was caused by males fighting for mating rights. The curved shape of the tusks would force them to bend down with each blow, causing damage to the newly formed tusk at the base of the Mastodon tusk. The uniformity of the damage in tusk development patterns suggests that it occurred annually, likely during the spring and early summer.
Additionally, Livescience reported that woolly mammoths appeared in Africa about 5 million years after the extinction of the Mastodon, further demonstrating that they are not the same species.
Mastodons were primarily frugivores and folivores, feeding on pine nuts and leaves in a browsing manner similar to modern elephants, while woolly mammoths were grazers.
To date, only about 10 complete Mastodon skeletons have been found in Florida. (Photo: Wiki).
Recent studies indicate that tuberculosis may partly account for the extinction of Mastodons around 10,000 years ago.
Another influencing factor in their extinction in North America at the end of the Pleistocene may be the presence of ancient Native Americans, who arrived in the Americas in relatively large numbers around 13,000 years ago. Their hunting caused a gradual decline in the populations of woolly mammoths and Mastodons, ultimately leading to the extinction of the Mastodon over time.
Hunter Windham, an expert at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton, stated: “The Mastodon tusk is likened to the ‘rough diamond’ of paleontology. The wonderful thing about Florida is that if you are looking for animals that existed in the last Ice Age, that would be the coastline that extended far beyond what it is today. These animals walked on dry land up to 50 or 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico compared to where we are today.”
Mastodon fossils, including tusks, bones, and skulls, are only commonly found in four states across the United States: Indiana, Colorado, California, and New York – making their appearance in Florida exceptionally unusual.
To date, only about 10 complete Mastodon skeletons have been found in Florida, compared to over 140 skeletons just in New York. Scientists have noted that it may take a long time to discover fossils in Florida due to the changes in the coastline since the Pleistocene.
