Archaeologists at the University of Iowa have uncovered a first for the state: the region’s first scientifically recovered mastodon skull. And experts believe there is a chance that ancient humans were responsible for his death.
While modern descendants of the mastodon can only be found in the wild throughout regions of Asia and Africa, multiple species of mastodons and mammoths roamed across vast areas of North America between 3.5 million and 10,500 years ago. giant Mammuthus columbifor example, it migrated as far south as central Mississippi until its final extinction around 12,700 BC. The home of the mastodon, by comparison, included what is now Iowa. Well-preserved remains, however, were a rare find there — until an unusual discovery two years ago in one of the state’s least populated areas, according to an Aug. 16 announcement from the University of Iowa.
In 2022, a resident of Wayne County, located on the Iowa-Missouri border, was walking along a local creek bed when they noticed an apparently large bone half-buried in the ground. State archaeologists quickly determined it was a mastodon femur. With a little more digging, they also found a broken herd nearby with clear evidence that it wasn’t alone. In fact, it appeared to still be attached to the mastodon’s skull.
After two years of grant applications and requests for donations, the University of Iowa’s Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) returned to the bones in August 2024 to begin retrieving the remains. Along with the femur and shank and the exceptionally well-preserved skull, researchers found a number of additional mastodon bones during the 12-day project, all of which are believed to belong to a single animal. Subsequent radiocarbon dating indicates the creature roamed ancient Wayne County about 13,600 years ago. This makes it particularly significant, not only because it is the first find of its kind in Iowa, but because the mastodon’s age matches the time when humans were already living in the same area.
“We’re really hoping to find evidence of human interaction with this creature — possibly the bullet points and knives that were used to kill the animal and do the initial butchering,” John Doershuk, director and state archaeologist at OSA, said through the university. announcement. Doershuk explained that they may soon find evidence on the bones in the form of cut marks.
[Related: Man finds gigantic mammoth tusk in a Mississippi creek.]
Doershuk’s team noted that they found numerous man-made artifacts, including stone tools, although these particular finds date back several thousand years to this particular mastodon. However, these relics are the first evidence of human presence in the stream drainage. With additional studies of aspects such as the specific locations and orientations of the bones, archaeologists hope to learn more about the mastodon’s presence in Iowa, as well as how it might have ended up in the creek bed in the first place. Meanwhile, colleagues at the UI Paleontology Repository will work on preservation efforts before the mastodon is eventually moved to the Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon, Iowa. Once there, visitors will be able to see the ancient remains in person.