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Palaeontology

Mastadon skull unearthed in Chile

By T.K. Randall
March 31, 2011 · Comment icon 5 comments

Image Credit: CC 2.0 Kevin Saff
The skull and tusks of a 2-million-year-old mastadon have been discovered at a new power plant site.
When digging for the foundation of a building discovering massive bones beneath the surface is the last thing on anyone's mind, but that's exactly what builders in Chile recently found at the site of a new hydroelectric power plant in Santiago. "Practically the whole skull [is] complete and in perfect condition, with its four molars and together with both tusks of almost four feet in length," says Rafael Labarca of Chile's PDI institute.
Mastodons were around the same size as modern elephants but were much more heavily muscled and had furry coats to protect them from cold. The ancestry of the elephant has long been a source of fascination for biologists.


Source: Daily Mail | Comments (5)

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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Ritcherd 13 years ago
that's awesome
Comment icon #2 Posted by xXHellkittiesXx 13 years ago
Then we are in complete agreement.
Comment icon #3 Posted by tipotep 13 years ago
Then we are in complete agreement. we sure are ! TiP
Comment icon #4 Posted by Realm 13 years ago
Huge teeth, dang!
Comment icon #5 Posted by Eldorado 13 years ago
Huge teeth, dang! You took the words right outa my mouth. Would be great if we still had giant (vegetarian) beasts like that wandering about the countryside.


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