A routine field survey in a California redwood forest has led to an extraordinary glimpse into the Ice Age. A scientist searching a San Mateo County creek for signs of habitat conditions for threatened California red-legged frogs spotted an oddly shaped object that initially appeared to be an ordinary rock. Instead, it turned out to be a remarkably well-preserved tooth belonging to an extinct Pacific mastodon. The fossil is estimated to be at least 10,000 years old and is being described as an exceptionally complete specimen from the region.
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