I knew a guy that found a mastodon here in California. He did have it for sale on Ebay. I’m going to call a mutual friend tomorrow and see what ever became of it. I found this about it
” Up for auction today is another eBay first! This is a 3 million year old mastodon excavated from right here in California!
These remains are of the American Mastodon or Mammut americanum.
The mastodon is a relative of the wholly mammoth, as well as the present day African Elephant. At the time of discovery, it was heralded as a rare opportunity for paleontologists to study an early example of this nearly complete pre-historic fossil.
The discovery
In 1997 Eric Pedersen, a ranch hand working on Rustler Ranch found a tooth sticking out from a stream bank. At first, the tooth looked like an arrowhead. Once the tooth was dug out, it was apparent that something much more significant had been found.
The ranch owner, Roger Fiddler was fascinated by the find, and invited a paleontologist to identify the tooth. Upon removing the top layer of soil, a nearly intact mastodon skeleton was found in the exact position in which it died. The only parts missing are the tusks, which were probably eroded away by the nearby stream.
Roger Fiddler contacted the Oakland Museum of California for help in excavating the skeleton. Roger wanted the skeleton to be preserved, studied and made available to the public.
Rustler Ranch is located in Modoc County, of North Eastern California. It is closest to the small town of Lookout, CA. See it on a map
The excavation
Six members of the Oakland Museum science department staff joined Roger and his wife to excavate the skeleton. In eight days the skeleton was excavated, prepped for transport and loaded onto a flatbed truck for the journey to Oakland.
Bruce Hansen was given the task of supervising the excavation. He commented that this skeleton is “One of the more spectacular skeletons I’ve run across.”
During this time the skeleton was carefully plastered and unearthed. The plaster stabilizes and protects the bones during excavation and transport.
By examining the matrix (material between the bones) scientists were able to determine that this mastodon probably died in a lake or wetland area.
The Exhibit
Once unearthed, the mastodon skeleton was displayed at the Oakland Museum of California from October 1999 to June of 2002. During museum hours, guests had the opportunity to talk with preparators and volunteers as they exposed the bones to prepare them to make casts and molds. They called this experiment “turning the museum inside out.”
The exhibit allowed guests to view some of the work involved with creating a museum exhibit. Guests were amazed at the mastodon’s size and the opportunity to see the bones up close and personal. Guests would compare the size of the bones to their bones. Children were fascinated to hear the story of its discovery and were excited by the fact that mastodons once lived in California. After seeing the bones and the volunteers working on them, many children declared that they would like to be paleontologists or archaeologists.
More Information
We have provided several video clips from the excavation site for even more information about this mastodon. The first clip is about 4 minutes long, and shows a bit of the process involved with excavating it. Bruce Hansen also discusses the significance of the find. Watch it below:
Click Here to View the Video!
The second clip is a bit longer, about 12 minutes in length. It features more detail about the mastodon, such as the discovery and Bruce Hansen discussing it a bit more in depth. Also shown are a few still images from the excavation site. Link below:
Click Here to View the Video!
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The mastodon skeleton is currently located in Sebastopol, CA about 30 minutes from our store in Petaluma, CA. All the bones are sealed in plaster on pallets, ready to be moved. The owner of this skeleton is willing to help deliver it within the continental United States for a nominal fee.
Please note that at this time, we do not know the weight of the pallets, so we can not give shipping quotes.
Please do not bid on this item if you do not intend to pay, or do not have the means to pay. All bids are subject to screening, and may be canceled at our discretion.”
http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=121667
Wow, that’s great!