West Texas hunter finds mammoth tusk on ranch
Team members Erika Blecha, Haley Bjorklund, Justin Garnett and Bryon Schroeder wrap the tusk with strips of plaster-covered burlap that will harden into a cast to protect it during transport. Devin Pettigrew/CBBS
A West Texas hunter looking for deer in Brewster and Presidio counties found a mammoth tusk instead.
The hunter was hunting at the O2 Ranch when he discovered a mammoth tusk in the drainage area of a creek bed.
What we know:
Ranch manager Will Juett contacted researchers at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas.
Dr. Byron Schroedor said the discovery of a mammoth tusk was very rare in West Texas. Researchers covered the tusk in a plaster "jacket" and built a frame to protect the tusk for its transport to the university's Center for Big Bend Studies.
What they're saying:
"The tusk was located in the drainage area of a creek bed," Schroeder said. "We realized pretty quickly there was not more to the skeleton, just an isolated tusk that had been separated from the rest of the remains."
Juett said he couldn't believe it when the researchers confirmed it was a mammoth tusk.
"Seeing that mammoth tusk just brings the ancient world to life," Juett said. "Now, I can’t help but imagine that huge animal wandering around the hills on the O2 Ranch. My next thought is always about the people that faced those huge tusks with only a stone tool in their hand!"
What we don't know:
The tusk will be carbon dated to determine its age. Schroeder said only one other found in the region has ever been carbon-dated and it was a less accurate process then.
"A local who subsequently wrote his PhD dissertation on it found one in Fort Stockton in the 1960s," Schroeder said. "There was a big range of error back then. Now we can get it down to a narrower range within 500 years."
The carbon dating process is expected to take a few months.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Sul Ross State University.