Mastodon Tusks and Ankle Bones May Have Been Located

The 8-inch wide re-assembled mastodon tooth that launched the dig was on display at the site on September 14.  (Photo by Don Comis)

On Saturday, September 14, an archaeologist switches from metal trowel to wooden instrument for the delicate work required for uncovering more of the large bones found on Sunday, September 13, in Unit 14.  I think he skipped lunch because he was so caught up in the task.  (Photo by Don Comis)

Well they said the big bones would start showing up and they did for our Sunday, September 14 mastodon dig in Morrow County.  Learning my route for my third weekend of digging and sifting, I got there early and saw what a special dig the day before had uncovered—what looks like mastodon leg bone from the ankle down as well as assorted other good chunks of bone half buried still in Units  14 and 15.

In his latest report to volunteers, Dr. Nigel Brush, with Ashland University, said that, “The tusk fragments are getting larger and Cathy Hancock noted that most of the material from Unit 4 this week were tusk fragments, so undisturbed portions of the tusk may lie in that direction (the two teeth were found in Unit 5)."

It was the discovery of a tooth by a soybean farmer about a year-and-a-half ago that launched this dig that began on August 23.  The tooth had been unearthed during the digging of a ditch to lay drainage pipe.

I’ve only got three days of digging experience but the finding of teeth in nearby Unit 5 and the possibility of the tusks being in Unit 4  makes me wonder if the mastodon’s head isn’t under Units 4 and 5—and I can begin to visualize the body connecting the head to the legs reaching Units 14 and 15.  I’m hoping anyway.

I was sifting soil for Unit 4 on Sunday and I noticed we were seeing more and more little fragment s of tusk and other bones and I started finding bone fragments on my own for the first time, including one that was not so small.  However, three youngsters outdid me even though this was their first day:  While helping us sift soil dug from Unit 4, Garrett Harvey, 9, found 5 small pieces of tusk, Kendra Harvey, 12, found 7 tusk pieces, and Miranda Harvey, 15, found 4 tusk pieces and 3 pieces of flint.  Flint pieces are saved in case they turn out to be parts of weapons that could indicated the mastodon was killed by prehistoric Native American hunters.

 Kim Harvey, a 6^th grade science teacher, brought her children to the dig because she shares my belief that youngsters should do more outdoor science.

We were sifting dirt dug from the 8- to 12-inch deep layer on Sunday.   I was also digging in Unit 4 on my very first day of digging, removing soil down to 8 inches and we found nothing.  The first foot of soil is the plow layer, where it’s less likely to find much because of the disturbance of plowing.  On September 6, I was working in Unit 16 and my partner, Jeff, was finding bones, including a good-sized one that was near Unit 15.

While an archaeologist in Unit 14 carefully uncovers large bones that may include ankle bones, markers have been laced in Unit 15 where large bones were also found.  (Photo by Don Comis)

Some of the units have been dug down to 16 inches.

There was very careful trowel and wood pick work going on in Units 14 and 15, to slowly uncover the larger bones.

One of the volunteers told me that the fact the mastodon seemed buried in a shallow grave meant that he may have died “only” 11,000 years ago, rather a million or more years ago, promising a better preserved skeleton might be found.

I sifted dirt from Unit 4 with Steve House,  president of the Muskingum [County] Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Ohio.   It took me a while to realize he had done the atlatl demonstration at the annual potluck and auction of the Kokosing Chapter which I belong to.

The re-assembled mastodon tooth that started this dig was on display.  Seeing it and asking questions I learned that I should say the tooth is about 8 inches wide, rather than 8 inches long.  The teeth are not long because a mastodon is a vegetarian that just chomps on small trees and other plants.   Each tooth can have about 10 cusps or ridges, compared to about four each for our teeth, which tend to be longer than they are wide.

It turns out that the tooth gives the mastodon its name because the cusps look like nipples.  And the tooth is one of the best ways to distinguish a mastodon from a wooly mammoth.  The mastodon is a forest animal that eats small trees, twigs and leaves, so its teeth are designed for crunching.  A wooly mammoth is a grasslands animal with teeth suited for cutting grass.

The next dig occurs Saturday, September 20—the day after my birthday.  Maybe I’ll get a mastodon for a present!

For more photos, go to "Mastodon Dig" on my website.