WEATHER ALERT

Air Quality Alert issued for parts of the Hudson Valley through 11P

Partial mastodon remains discovered in Orange County backyard

The students found two teeth, a lower jaw, vertebrae and ribs.

News 12 Staff

Jul 16, 2025, 12:12 AM

Updated 10 hr ago

Share:

The partial remains of a mastodon that dates back 10,000 to 13,000 years were uncovered by Orange County Community College students in a home’s backyard.
The students found two teeth, a lower jaw, vertebrae and ribs. They were sent to the New York State Museum for more studies.
A complete adult mastodon jaw was found last year in a Scotchtown backyard.
The National Park Service says mastodons were widespread in North America and have elephants and mammoths as distant cousins. Their last shared ancestor lived over 20 million years ago.