Last spring, when local paleontologist Wayne Thompson received a photo of an object that looked like a bone from Tara Redwood School students and their families, he wasn’t sure what to make of it. The object, an ancient sloth fossil, is making history.
fossil finds
Posted inEducation
Students discover ancient sloth fossil in Santa Cruz Mountains, a first in the county
Tara Redwood School students were playing in a creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains last spring when they stumbled upon a surprise. The object turned out to be the first fossil sloth bone reported in Santa Cruz County.
Posted inLatest News
Fossil fever: Aging the mastodon tooth and another significant discovery on tap for 2024
We will soon know the approximate age of the mastodon tooth fossil discovered at Rio Del Mar State Beach last Memorial Day weekend. But that’s not the only fossil-related excitement expected for 2024.
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Q&A: Recently discovered mastodon tooth may hold ancient secrets about evolution of Santa Cruz County
Wayne Thompson has been fascinated with ancient animals since his family owned Scotts Valley’s now-closed Lost World attraction. He’s been on the trail of Ice Age mammals in Santa Cruz County since a juvenile mastodon skull turned up in Aptos Creek in 1980, and the May find of a tooth on a Rio Del Mar beach has the Museum of Natural History paleontologist excited anew.
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Ancient mastodon tooth scooped up on Santa Cruz County beach turned in to museum after frantic search
A woman walking on Rio Del Mar State Beach on Saturday posted a Facebook photo of a unique object she saw in the sand but left behind. A local paleontologist recognized the mysterious object as the tooth of an adult mastodon, an Ice Age mammal that went extinct between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago. However, by the time he rushed to the beach, the tooth was gone, setting off a desperate search for a rare scientific discovery. On Tuesday, an Aptos resident gave the tooth to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.