(Sergio De la Rosa Martinez)
CASTROVILLE, Calif. – A worker clearing land for farming has uncovered the bones of a juvenile Ice Age mammoth that archeologists are calling the first-ever find of its kind in Monterey County.
State Department of Parks archaeologist Mark Hylkema is calling for a careful excavation of the site near Castroville to search for evidence that the mammoth was brought down by Ice Age hunters.
The bones belong to a Columbian mammoth, an extinct species of elephant with enormous curled tusks that died out about 10,000 years ago.
The Monterey County Herald reports that equipment operator, Martin Jefferson was clearing land in December when his tractor blade scraped against a large tusk. Jefferson also found bones and a large tooth.
Some of the bones have been sent for testing to determine their age.
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