Scientist accidentally discovers ancient giant tooth while studying endangered frogs

A scientist studying something else entirely accidentally stumbled upon a giant tooth from the Ice Age, belonging to an ancient herbivore.

Geomorphologist Brigid Lynch was in the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, San Mateo County, California, conducting a field survey for a habitat-restoration project aimed at the endangered California red-legged frog.

Lynch was working in a creek bed when she spotted an “oddly shaped rock” in the water. She said the object was “just sitting there” in the middle of the creek, and eventually turned out to be a major paleontological discovery.

Ancient tooth belonged to a mastodon

Palaeontologists confirmed the tooth to be the molar of an adult Pacific mastodon, a huge elephant-like herbivore that roamed the Earth for 2.5 million years before going extinct around 11,000 years ago. The 9-inch (23cm) long tooth was donated to the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University.

Chrissy Garcia, curator and manager of the school’s specimen collections, told AP News of the quality of the fossil. “It’s in great condition. So we’ve got both the crown and the root of the fossil. You can even see the root canal,” she said. “It’s exciting to have a specimen of this quality, and having it be a local find.”

Garcia said attempts will be made to determine the exact age of the fossil, and that a 3D copy will be made and given to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, which will use it for public outreach and education.

“That this tooth, that this molar, was found in the context of trying to protect the habitat and save another species from potentially going extinct, I think really just drives home the point of why it’s so important to care for these open spaces and these natural lands,” said Ryan McCauley, a spokesperson for the district.

For similar stories, check out our coverage of the scientists who found Woolly Mammoth DNA by digging through squirrel poop, or the teenager who found a rare six-inch Megalodon tooth on the ocean floor.