Mammoth tooth and bones found in pile of rocks at Elk City Farm and Ranch Museum
By Jonathan Greco
Click here for updates on this story
ELK CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A museum curator in western Oklahoma made a mammoth discovery when she found an animal’s tooth in a pile of rocks last month.
On May 29, Anna Wray, the curator of Elk City’s museum complex met with Dr. Miriam Belmaker, an archaeologist and director of the Museum Science and Management program at the University of Tulsa, to discuss connecting small museums in Oklahoma. During their meeting, Wray took Belmaker to the Farm and Ranch Museum in Elk City to see a bear skull that was on display.
While there, Belmaker saw a pile of rocks on the floor and “noticed three bones belonging to a mammoth,” according to a news release. The two moved some rocks out of the way and found a mammoth tooth.
“Dr. Belmaker was shocked to see it sitting on the ground,” Wray said in the news release. “She was able to easily identify it as a mammoth tooth based on its shape, size, weight, and enamel patterns.”
According to the news release, Belmaker believes the tooth belonged to a young mammoth because of its size and being less worn.
Wray also found an exhibition label saying the tooth was found in Roger Mills County. The news release states that Wray is working to find the person who donated the mammoth tooth to determine exactly where it was discovered.
Mammoth remains have been found at multiple archaeological sites in western Oklahoma, according to the news release. One was at the Domebo Canyon archaeological site in Caddo County, and another was near Alva.
The mammoth tooth and bones will soon be on display at the Old Town Museum in Elk City.
“Our large ammonite fossil will also be placed next to the tooth and bones, creating a small natural history section in the museum,” Wray said in the release.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.