In 1705, the first fossil of a mastodon was found in Claverack, New York. A farmer found a fossilized tooth that weighed five pounds. A farmer traded it to a local politician. Then, the politician sent it to the governor, who sent it to England. The governor called it the “Tooth of a Giant”. This was the first bone found of the mastodon.
Mastodons
Mastodons roamed the Earth thousands of years ago. The mastodons’ habitat were the plains of Pleistocene age North America and Eurasia. The most famous of all the mastodons is the North American Mastodon. But when the human settlers came to the American land they killed them. Although sometimes the mastodons would get the human diseases that the tribes had. The only reason that the humans killed them was for their meat, and that could feed the whole tribe for a week!
Mastodons’ Health
Mastodons ate a rough diet of leaves and branches. This is because their molars are rough. The mastodon’s molars are called “ Nipple Tooth”. This is because of the way the tooth looks. Its molars would help the mastodon chew the rough leaves and branches. Mastodons also had fur to protect them from the extreme cold; that’s one way they stayed alive in the ice age. Mastodons sometimes had tuberculosis, a disease that can also be caught by humans.
Mammoths
The mammoths’ habitat was in Europe, Asia, and North America. Then it went all the way to the Arctic. A dwarf species lived in Wrangel Island near Siberia until around 1700 B.C.
Mammoth Fossils
The mammoth fossils were found across Europe, Northern Asia, and Northern America. Some were also found in a few small islands. That proves that they moved around and slowly died out.
Comparison
The mammoth and the mastodon were two totally different creatures, but at the same time they have similar traits. Both the mammoth and the mastodon had elephant-like features, and hair (although the mammoth’s hair was a lot thicker and longer). They both also lived in Europe, Asia, and North America. I am sorry to say that the human race killed both of the species. We have learned many things about these animals and are trying to know more about them.
More Information
See more at http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/prehistoric-new-york-mastodons/
Believe it? Tooth of mastodon found in Demopolis
Source: demopolistimes.com/2004/05/12/believe-it-tooth-of-mastodon-found-in-demopolis/
Next time you take a shovel to the yard, dig lightly. You might hit the jaw of a creature that walked through Demopolis some 2,000 years ago.
Don’t believe it? The same group working to upgrade natural gas lines around Demopolis shoveled more than limestone from the ground on April 28. They shoveled out the near 7-inch tooth of a mastodon.
According to a letter from Mixon Russ, division manager for Alagasco in Selma, contractors uncovered “a very large buried tooth on Carver Avenue that appeared to be very old.”
Old is an understatement. According to encyclopedia.com, mastodons roamed North America thousands of years ago. Some believe the creatures survived until the time of Christ, and according to Russ’ letter to Demopolis Mayor Austin Caldwell, there have been only a few mastodon fossils found around the state.
“… This tooth might provide valuable information on this species and the history of our state,” Russ said in his letter.
Tuesday, Russ could not be reached for comment. However, an official with Alagasco said the tooth was discovered by a crew of workers near Foscue Park. According to the official, the tooth was taken from the ground, pictures were taken, and the Museum of Natural History at the University of Alabama eventually took the tooth to be preserved.
After the UofA museum was notified, a crew came to Demopolis to survey the area, hoping to find other rare fossils. After finding nothing, contractors were allowed to continue their work upgrading the natural gas distribution system in the city.
Caldwell said he had heard nothing, except for the letter from Russ.
“I’ve sent a letter asking for a picture,” Caldwell said.
According to the encyclopedia, mastodon remains have been found in places that were associated with fires. Some believe humans roasted the meet of the animals, which are most similar to a modern-day elephant.
Another Web site said some mastodons developed scoop-shaped lower tusks that were used for digging vegetation. They had reddish-brown hair and were often found near bodies of water.
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