A Florida man has found the stays of a prehistoric monster that might be 10 million years outdated.
Alex Lundberg, 29, was diving along with his good friend close to Venice Seaside when he pulled a four-foot mastodon tusk from 25 ft under the floor.
The tusk turned out to from a mastodon – a distant relative of the woolly mammoth – that lived 10 million years in the past, Lundberg stated.
An professional on the Bradenton’s Bishop Museum of Science and Nature verified the invention which is taken into account ‘tremendous uncommon’ as a result of solely prehistoric shark tooth and damaged items of mammoth tusks are sometimes discovered within the space.
Lundberg might want to report his findings the Florida Museum of Pure Historical past to find out if it has any scientific worth.
Mastodon tusks which are sometimes just a few inches in size have offered for as little as $20 to $350, however Lundberg speculated that the worth of his 60-pound tusk is about $5,000.
Alex Lundberg (left) was diving along with his good friend, Blair Morrow (proper) close to Venice Seaside when he found a four-foot mastodon tusk
Alex Lundberg (pictured holding the mastodon tusk) stated he hopes he can hold the fossil and was shocked it remained intact as he pulled it from the water
The part-time scuba diver and fossil hunter stated it was surreal that the mastodon tusk did not break aside when he eliminated it from the ocean ground.
‘Once I first noticed it I solely noticed a small strip of uncovered within the sand,’ Lundberg advised DailyMail.com.
‘When began fanning away the sand I noticed the cross part of it and realized it was full tusk.
‘We made a sling out of a seaside towel and sort of hoisted it over the facet of the boat,’ he continued.
‘It is completely surreal that it got here up in a single piece, did not break aside in any respect.’
Lundberg has looked for fossils close to Venice Seaside for 5 years the place the realm is thought for 1000’s of fossilized shark tooth which are estimated to be roughly 10 million years outdated.
Nevertheless, he estimated that ‘the tusk is wherever between 10,000 and 500,000 years outdated based mostly on different fossils we have recovered from that space.’
Talking concerning the tusk, Lundberg advised Tampa Bay Information: ‘That is as soon as in a lifetime, is what I have been advised.’
The tusk (pictured) weighed about 60 kilos and is probably going hundreds of thousands of years outdated
The mastodon lived 5.4 million years in the past up till 10,000 years in the past when it went extinct. It’s a distant relative of the modern-day elephant
Mastodons are an extinct relative of recent elephants that had been widespread throughout North America up till about 10,000 years in the past.
The fossils are sometimes generally present in well-preserved Pliocene age deposits from 5.4 to 2.4 million years in the past and the next Pleistocene age that lasted from 2.5 to 11,000 years in the past.
Mastodon fossils together with tusks, bones, and skulls are widespread in simply 4 states throughout the US: Indiana, Colorado, California and New York – making its look in Florida extremely uncommon.
There are solely about one dozen full mastodon skeletons which were present in Florida, in comparison with greater than 140 in New York State alone.
Lundberg stated it might have taken so lengthy to uncover the fossil as a result of the Florida shoreline had modified for the reason that Pleistocene age.
‘The sand is consistently shifting and exposing and masking new areas. Particularly after chilly entrance and large storms,’ he stated.
‘We’ve searched that spot for years earlier than and we obtained fortunate that day.’
The tusk was positioned about 25 ft under the water off the coast of Venice Seaside, Florida
Alex Lundberg (pictured) might want to share his findings with the Florida Museum of Pure Historical past which can determine if the tusk is scientifically important or if he can hold it
‘All paleontologists are searching for that sort of diamond within the tough,’ Hunter Windham, an schooling specialist with Bradenton’s Bishop Museum of Science and Nature advised Tampa Bay.
‘The wonderful thing about Florida, particularly in the event you’re searching for animals that had been round over the last ice age, is that the shoreline prolonged means additional out than as we speak. So these animals had been strolling on dry land as much as 50 or 60 miles out to the Gulf of Mexico relative to us as we speak,’ he added.
Lundberg might want to share his findings with the Florida Museum of Pure Historical past after his Florida Fossil Amassing allow expires in six months.
At the moment, the museum will determine if the tusk is scientifically important or if he can hold it however he stays hopeful that it will possibly keep in his household.
Mastodon fossils are sometimes generally present in well-preserved Pliocene age deposits from 5.4 to 2.4 million years in the past and the next Pleistocene age that lasted from 2.5 to 11,000 years in the past. Pictured: Lundberg’s canine hovers over the mastodon tusk
‘It is simply been sort of rolling round on the ocean ground for no less than the final 10 million years,’ he advised USA Immediately.
‘Its scientific worth is restricted, it is simply extra of a cool show piece at this level.’
In a separate interview, Lundberg advised Tampa Bay: ‘I advised my girlfriend, this tusk goes to go to our youngsters and our grandkids, like, this can be a household tusk now. It is a part of the household.’
