Mammoth tusk found in Mississippi: A rare prehistoric treasure

Live Science reports that this is the first discovery of its kind in the region. It describes finding a gigantic mammoth tusk weighing 595 pounds and measuring 6.5 feet in length in the American city of Madison, Mississippi.

We read that Eddie Templeton was walking through the wild areas of Mississippi. During his hike, he accidentally encountered a partially submerged object resembling a tusk from a distance. When he approached it, he realized he had likely found the remnants of what could have been a mammoth or mastodon.

Templeton's discovery became even more exciting when scientists arrived at the site. According to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the accidental discoverer had found a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) tusk.

James Starnes, a geologist at MDEQ, confirmed that mammoth tusks in the Mississippi region generally "are not well-preserved." However, Templeton’s findings differ from similar discoveries in this area. The tusks he discovered are almost intact. This means that scientists can examine the structure of the find more closely and better understand the history of the Columbian mammoths that lived in Mississippi.

Live Science reports that finding a well-preserved mammoth component in Mississippi is uncommon. Although American mastodons (Mammut americanum) once lived in this area, feeding on the local vegetation and moving through different environments, the Columbian mammoths were more selective. They required open and grassy areas, thus living in only two regions of Mississippi.

The mentioned animals lived during the Pleistocene epoch, which lasted from 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. They arrived in North America about 1.5 million years ago. An adult could reach a height of 15 feet and weigh up to 10 tons. Columbian mammoths are estimated to have gone extinct around 12,000 years ago due to melting glaciers, shrinking habitats, and intensified human hunting. The last known mammoths lived 3,700 years ago on Wrangel Island (off the coast of Alaska).