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An amateur fossil hunter found a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk that's thousands of years old — take a look
An amateur fossil hunter found a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk that's thousands of years old — take a look
Jenny McGrathAug 28, 2024, 03:01 IST
<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Eddie Templeton (right) found a well-preserved mammoth tusk in a Mississippi creek.Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>An <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-found-then-lost-mastodon-tooth-california-beach-2023-6">amateur fossil hunter</a> found a mammoth tusk in a Mississippi creek.</li><li>Experts said it was the first mammoth tusk found in the state.</li></ul><p>Amateur fossil hunter Eddie Templeton came across the discovery of a lifetime on the bank of a creek in rural Madison County, Mississippi.</p><p>Rains had recently uncovered a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk from the <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/extinct-giant-mammals-pleistocene-megafauna-ice-age-north-america">Pleistocene epoch</a> over 11,700 years ago.</p><p>Eddie Templeton was on the lookout for fossils when he spotted it earlier this month. But he had no idea that he'd found the only mammoth tusk ever discovered in the state.</p><p>Experts are now examining the colossal find to learn more about the animal that roamed the area <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colossal-biosciences-stem-cell-breakthrough-woolly-mammoth-revival-closer-deextinction-2024-3">thousands of years ago</a>.</p>
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Templeton has been fossil hunting since childhood.
The tusk is in good condition, including having its tip.Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Templeton assumed he'd found a mastodon tusk and was surprised it belonged to a mammoth.
Colombian mammoths could reach nearly 13 feet tall and would have been difficult for any predator to take down when they were fully grown.Jenny McGrath/Business Insider
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The tusk is 7 feet and weighs hundreds of pounds.
The tusk weighs hundreds of pounds and is delicate.Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Experts can learn a lot from the tusk.
Experts protected the tusk with plaster before moving it.Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
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The rest of the mammoth could still be in the river.
Eddie Templeton knows how to keep a lookout for fossils in creeks.Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Templeton has tips for other fossil hunters.
Experts hope the tusk will eventually go on permanent display.Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality