Ice Age mammoth bone found during dive

Listen to this article While diving in Florida, two men found a mammoth bone from the Ice Age. The prehistoric artefact was retrieved from the water and we have to admit that its size is impressive. The bone of a prehistoric Ice Age mammoth has been found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico,

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: May 2, 2021 - 09:00

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 22:27

Listen to this article

While diving in Florida, two men found a mammoth bone from the Ice Age. The prehistoric artefact was retrieved from the water and we have to admit that its size is impressive.

The bone of a prehistoric Ice Age mammoth has been found in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. The find could be as much as 2.5 million years old and is not the first of its kindthat has been recorded in the region.

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fossil found in Florida — Divers posing with a fossilised mammoth bone

Henry is my buddy and we often dive together. On a recent dive he started shouting to me and calling out “Hey, Derek! I found something!”. What happened to us is really amazing – – said Derek Demeter, director of the Seminole State Planetarium

One quick glance and it becomes clear that this is no ordinary fossil. The artefact found by the friends measures more than 120 cm long and weighs almost 23 kg. Henry and Derek found the bone of a prehistoric mammoth in late April while diving in the waters of southwest Florida.

The findings so far suggest that it is a mammoth femur. Its age has been determined to date back to the Ice Age, somewhere between 2.5 million and 10 thousand years ago. The discrepancy is huge, but the actual age of the fossil is extremely difficult to determine.

This fossil is extremely dense, so we think it may number around 100,000. – said Demeter

lucky finders of a prehistoric fossil — Joy after the discovery of an unusual fossil

Not only a mammoth

Without a doubt, it is finds such as this fossilised bone of a prehistoric mammoth that keep Derek and Henry diving in Florida. Later that same day, they also found the fossils of an extinct shark and the fang of a prehistoric sabre-tooth tiger. Importantly, there are more like them, and more discoveries are on the way.

Such finds, like astronomy, allow us to travel in time. They spark the imagination and allow us to speculate and ask many questions. That is why I love it! – – explained Demeter in an interview with the media

A fossilised bone of a prehistoric mammoth is brilliantly preserved on the ocean floor. The men attribute this fact to the fact that when they found it, it was resting on the bottom buried under a layer of sand. Because it was hidden from light and with little access to oxygen, it was likely to survive to our time and become an amazing diving discovery.

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.