'I knew they were something special': New York homeowner discovers mastodon jaw fossils in backyard

A New York resident has discovered the remains of an ice age mastodon in their backyard.

The resident, who hasn't been named, discovered the fossils on their property near Scotchtown in Orange County. At first, they spotted two teeth protruding out of the soil behind the leaves of a plant, which led to the discovery of several bones, including a complete jaw, according to a statement released by the New York State Museum.

"When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew they were something special and decided to call in the experts," the resident said in the statement. "I'm thrilled that our property has yielded such an important find for the scientific community."

This is the first mastodon discovery in New York state for more than 11 years, and researchers hope it will enable them to gain a better understanding of the state's ice age inhabitants — the last ice age occurred between about 120,000 and 11,500 years ago, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Related: Huge 13,600-year-old mastodon skull and bones unearthed in Iowa

American mastodons (Mammut americanum) were hairy creatures similar to woolly mammoths. Weighing in at around 6 tons (5.4 metric tons), they were comparable in size to living elephants — Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) also weigh up to 6 tons, while African elephants (Loxodonta africana) weigh up to 6.6 tons (6 metric tons.)

Mastodons lived across North America up until about 13,000 years ago, mostly occupying pine forests and boggy areas. They were adapted for life at the edge of water with broad feet and stubby, wide-splayed toe bones for walking on soft, wet ground, according to the Natural History Museum in London.

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Orange County has become a hot spot for mastodon finds and was home to a third of the 150 mastodons discovered in New York to date, according to the museum's statement.

Staff from the museum and Orange County Community College excavated the newly discovered fossils, which included a piece of toe bone and a rib fragment, in addition to the jaw and teeth.

"This discovery is a testament to the rich paleontological history of New York and the ongoing efforts to understand its past," Robert Feranec, the director of research and collections and curator of ice age animals at New York State Museum, said in the statement.

Researchers now plan to carbon date the fossils to find out how old they are. Then, by studying the teeth and jaw, the museum team hopes to learn about what the animal ate and how it interacted with other plants and animals, as well as its physical environment.

"This mastodon jaw provides a unique opportunity to study the ecology of this magnificent species, which will enhance our understanding of the Ice Age ecosystems from this region," Feranec said. "Fossils are resources that provide remarkable snapshots of the past, allowing us to not only reconstruct ancient ecosystems but also provide us with better context and understanding of the current world around us. Each discovery like this one brings us one step closer to piecing together the full story of New York."