Ancient Mastodon Tooth Discovered on California Beach

A woman discovered a foot-long tooth from an ancient mastodon while walking on a California beach. The tooth was identified as a worn molar from an adult Pacific mastodon, an extinct elephant-like species. The tooth, estimated to be at least 5,000 years old, was lost and then found again after a media blitz and a kind-hearted jogger. The tooth was donated to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, where it will be on display. This is only the third locally recorded mastodon fossil found in the area.