Indiana sewer project unearths trove of mastodon bones

SCI-TECH

Indiana sewer project unearths trove of mastodon bones

The Associated Press Published Thursday, April 18, 2019 12:45PM EDT

Joe Schepman, left, and his son, Brad, hold the tusk of a mastodon found on the family's property. on April 15, 2019 in Seymour, Ind. Atlas Excavating recently discovered the remains of a mastodon on property owned by Schepman. The remains include the majority of a tusk, part of a jawbone with teeth, two upper leg bones, a vertebrae, a joint and part of the skull. The tusk was split into two pieces and together made up about a third of the tusk. (Jordan Richart/The Tribune via AP)

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SEYMOUR, Ind. -- Workers installing sewer lines across a southern Indiana farm unearthed the fossilized bones of a mastodon that likely stood about 9 feet (2.7 metres) tall.

The bones include most of a tusk, parts of a skull and a jawbone with teeth. They were recently dug up on a farm in Seymour, about 60 miles (96 kilometres) south of Indianapolis.

Joe Schepman owns the farm with his family. He tells The Seymour Tribune that "it's amazing to think about something this large roaming around this area."

Ron Richards is senior research curator of paleobiology at the Indiana State Museum. He says the mastodon would have stood between 9 (2.7 metres) and 9 1/2 feet (2.8 metres) tall.

Richards says the fossil's age will be determined using radiocarbon dating.

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This April 15, 2019 photo shows remains of a mastodon found on a private property in Seymour, Ind. (Jordan Richart/The Tribune via AP)/The Tribune via AP)
The tusk of a mastodon found on property owned by Joe Schepman and his family is shown on April 15, 2019 in Seymour, Ind. (Jordan Richart/The Tribune via AP)