Mammoth bones found in Iowa back yard




When an Iowa family first stumbled across the strange object in their backyard, it looked like an old bowling ball. But imagine the surprise when the "ball" turned out to be part of a massive mammoth bone.


One Iowa family got the surprise of their lives when they discovered mammoth bones in their garden.

The 12,000 year-old bones are being hailed as one of the most significant such discoveries due to the position and size of the bones and because the remains appear to have been undisturbed since the animal died. A local farmer first discovered the bones when he unearthed a 10ft femur at the property two years ago after one of his sons initially believed it to be a bowling ball.

"The size of this discovery is quite uncommon," said Sarah Horgen of the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History. "It’s pretty exciting-–partially because the mammoth is being discovered where it died. And we know that because we’re finding very large bones right alongside very small bones."





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