Mammoth remains found in Michigan field

A farmer in Michigan discovered the skull and tusks of a mammoth in his soybean field in 2015. The find, made in Lima Township, southwest of Ann Arbor, is rare in the state, where mastodons are more commonly found than mammoths.

Discovery made during drain installation

The farmer, James Bristle, was installing a drain in late September 2015 when his shovel struck a curved, dark object, which he initially thought was an old fence post. He and a neighbor alerted the University of Michigan's paleontology museum the following day.

Paleontologists recover significant remains

Daniel Fisher, who directs the museum, visited the site and recovered nearly 20% of the bones, including the skull, two tusks, vertebrae, ribs, and the pelvis. The animal was identified as an adult male, a hybrid between a woolly mammoth and a Columbian mammoth.

Evidence of ancient human activity

The bones were found in an arrangement suggesting ancient human activity. The excavators noted that three stone blocks indicated a prehistoric butchery scene.