Mastodon Tooth Discovery May Rewrite History of Santa Cruz County

A recent discovery on Rio Del Mar beach has sent shockwaves through the scientific community, potentially rewriting the history of Santa Cruz County. A jogger stumbled upon a 20,000-year-old tooth from an adult mastodon, which could provide evidence that a herd roamed the area during the last Ice Age.

The tooth, meticulously preserved by nature, is a significant find for scientists. 'Teeth in particular can provide a lot of information about the environment they were existing in,' said Jennifer Schuh, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History curator. The recently discovered tooth may be the first evidence that a herd roamed Santa Cruz County during the last Ice Age.

The discovery was made by Jim Smith, a beach jogger who found the strange object while running along Rio Del Mar beach. 'I received a phone call this afternoon from a longtime Aptos resident,' said Liz Broughton, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History visitor experience manager. The jogger later saw KRON4's news story and contacted the museum.

The tooth is part of a juvenile Pacific mastodon's skull that was excavated in 1980 from Aptos Creek. It took Thompson two years to meticulously put the skull back together at the museum. 'And he was very happy to donate it to our collection,' Broughton told KRON4 on Tuesday.

This discovery is particularly significant because there are only a few mammoth specimens, and mammoths are more common than mastodons. 'It's super, super, super important for understanding elephant life in Santa Cruz County during the last Ice Age,' emphasized Thompson.

The tooth provides valuable information about the environment of 20,000 years ago and can help scientists 'paint a picture of what life in our region used to look like.' The discovery is a significant addition to the museum's collection and will be on display for the public to enjoy.

Mastodon animal age