California resident Jennifer Schuh found an unusual object on the beach, which turned out to be the tooth of an ancient mastodon. Scientists believe it could be at least one million years old.
Jennifer said she did not raise the find, but took a photo and posted it on social media in the hope that someone could identify her. One user, an adviser to the paleontological collections of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, suggested that a woman stumbled on a truly unique find on the beach – a mastodon tooth.
Having learned what historical rarity lay under her feet, Jennifer returned to the beach, but the tooth was no longer in its original place. And again, Internet users who connected to the search came to the rescue. As a result, a runner came across an ancient fossil. He took the tooth and donated it to the museum.
Specialists from the museum noted that the find is unique. The last such tooth was found on a beach in California in 1980. Since that time, storms have thrown various fossils ashore, but there was no such specimen. The found tooth is 30 centimeters long and well preserved.
“We are delighted with this find and the possibilities it brings to the study of ancient life in our region,” said museum executive director Felicia Van Stock.
Jennifer Schuh said she was so impressed by the find that she ordered a piece of jewelry in the form of a small copy of the tooth, which will allow her to keep a piece of history for herself.