Construction Workers Find Mammoth Fossil In Cape Coral, Florida

Construction workers in Cape Coral, Florida, made a surprise discovery while digging a deep trench: a fossilized bone likely belonging to either a woolly mammoth or a mastodon. The fossil was spotted in June as workers dug down to a depth of 17ft; they, believing it to possibly be a fossil, passed the bone on to archaeologists, who have confirmed the discovery.

The fossil measures approximately 12-inches x 10-inches and is roughly between 12,500 and 250,000 years old. That estimate is based on previous discoveries, though experts will likely have more precise details after studying the fossil. This is the latest of only two other known mammoth fossil sites located in Lee County where the bone was found.

The fossil belongs to the City of Cape Coral, which plans to donate it to the Cape Coral Historical Museum in the future after researchers have studied it. Speaking to local news FOX 4, archaeologist Robert Carr said the bone may have been part of the creature's upper arm or humorous bone.

The now-extinct woolly mammoth featured long hair and curved tusks, having roamed many parts of the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Other similar discoveries have been made in parts of the US, including a large mammoth fossil discovered in southern California that included a skull with tusks, making it an extremely rare find.

SOURCE: ABC 15