New Mastodon Remains Unearthed in New York's Orange County

Ongoing Mastodon Discoveries in Orange County

• 💡 Orange County continues to be a rich area for finding mastodon remains, with recent excavations yielding more fossils.
• 🎯 These Ice Age mammals, which went extinct 11,000 years ago, are frequently discovered in this region.

Recent Excavation and Findings

• ⛏️ Dr. Cory Harris led students from Sunni Orange in a week-long dig in a Walkill backyard after the homeowner found mastodon teeth.
• 🦴 The excavation recovered numerous vertebrae, ribs, and atlas bones, potentially dating back 13,000 years.
• 🏞️ The location of the find suggests the remains were in a former lake formed by a retreating glacier.

Historical Context and Scientific Significance

• 📜 Orange County has a long history of mastodon discoveries, with George Washington himself visiting a found tooth in Middletown in 1780.
• 💀 The nearly complete mastodon skeleton, Sugar, found in 1972, dates back to 8,000 BC.
• 🌍 Continued exploration of these ice age mammal remains helps answer questions about natural history and environmental changes.
• 🎓 These discoveries provide valuable opportunities for students and contribute important natural history material for the New York State Museum.
• 📍 To date, mastodon remains have been found at 150 sites in New York, with a third located in Orange County.