A Florida man just lately discovered a prehistoric jackpot whereas diving off the Sunshine State’s coast.
Lundberg, who studied marine biology on the College of South Florida, informed Fox Information Digital that he discovered an historic mastodon tusk whereas scavenging for fossils off Manasota Key, which is round 90 miles south of Tampa. He discovered the relic again in April.
The mastodon tusk, which has not been dated, could possibly be thousands and thousands of years previous. Whereas the 29-year-old stated he is been scuba diving for 12 years, Lundberg has been a fossil hunter since he was “sufficiently old to stroll.”
“My dad would take us out to building websites on a regular basis to search for fossils as a child,” Lundberg defined.
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Lundberg, who studied marine biology on the College of South Florida, discovered the tusk again in April. (Alex Lundberg)
“Discovering small items and chunks of tusk is frequent, however discovering one this huge and well-preserved may be very uncommon,” the scavenger added. “Tusks present in Florida are usually very delicate and normally crumble aside.”
American Mastodons went extinct round 10,500 years in the past, in line with the Nationwide Park Service (NPS). The fossils of the large creatures have been discovered throughout North America and Central America, from Alaska to Mexico.
Opposite to common perception, mastodons aren’t the identical species as mammoths, although they did share a standard ancestor with mammoths and elephants. The creatures might develop as excessive as 10 ft tall.
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Lundberg describes himself as a life-long fossil hunter. (Alex Lundberg)
“Though the mastodon has been round since [4 to 3 million years ago], mammoths didn’t arrive in North America till a lot later, in the course of the Pleistocene ice ages,” the NPS’s web site reads. The Pleistocene epoch stretches from 2.6 million years in the past to 11,700 years in the past.
“Mastodons did co-exist in lots of locations with mammoths, however all of North America’s proboscideans went extinct by round 10,500 years in the past,” the NPS added.
Lundberg advises that aspiring fossil hunters ought to bear in mind to get a fossil allow, in the event that they’re fortunate sufficient to discover a prehistoric object. He stated the state of Florida’s fossil permits solely price 5 {dollars} every.
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Lunberg says that it’s uncommon to discover a well-preserved, intact mastodon tusk off Florida waters. (Alex Lundberg)
“My finest tip is to get out and discover and maintain your head down,” he stated. “These items is on the market and all around the state.”
As to the place the traditional mastodon tusk will go subsequent, Lundberg stated that he’ll maintain it except specialists deem it necessary sufficient to donate.
“I plan on preserving it, however I do must report it on the finish of the yr to the Florida Museum of Pure Historical past,” he stated. “In the event that they deem it scientifically necessary, I’ve to donate it, however that may be very unlikely.”
The mammoth tusk can be donated to a pure historical past museum if deemed scientifically vital. (Alex Lundberg)
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Fox Information Digital reached out to Florida Museum of Pure Historical past for remark, however specialists weren’t in a position to remark on the time of publication.
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