A New York homeowner found a very unexpected relic lurking just below his lawn while gardening: the jawbone of a long-extinct giant.

Researchers from the State Museum of New York and SUNY Orange determined that the jawbone came from a mastodon, an ancient elephant-like species that went extinct about 10,000 years ago.

A resident of Orange County, New York initially noticed two teeth hidden behind some plants and initially thought they were baseballs before finding two more teeth buried just below them.

“When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew it was something special and decided to call in the experts,” the unnamed resident said in a statement.

“I am thrilled that our property has yielded such an important discovery to the scientific community.”

What does a mastodon look like?

Mastodons lived from the late Miocene to the Pleistocene epoch, about 3.75 million to 11,000 years ago, according to the Illinois State Museum.

They were similar in size to modern elephants, the males standing about 10 feet tall at the shoulder, but they had large curved tusks and their bodies were covered in long shaggy fur.

Mastodons inhabited mainly Central and North America and were herbivores, feeding on shrubs, trees and other plants.

They are thought to have lived in herds, probably similar to modern elephants.

What is the difference between a mastodon and a woolly mammoth?

Mastodons were slightly shorter and stockier than mammoths, with a more robust skeleton. Mastodons also had straighter or slightly curved tusks, used for bark removal and fighting, while mammoths had long, dramatically curved tusks used for defense and display.

While mammoths were adapted to the cold, open tundra and grasslands of Europe, North America, and Asia during the Ice Age, mastodons were found in forests and swampy areas throughout Central and North America.

Mastodon fossils have been discovered throughout the United States, with notable discoveries in areas such as Florida, Michigan, and New York. In fact, 150 mastodon fossils have been found in New York alone, about a third of them in Orange County.

When experts found this newly discovered jaw, other bone fragments – including a leg bone and a piece of rib – were found alongside it.

The jaw is believed to have belonged to an adult mastodon, but more information about the creature’s age and diet will be determined after carbon dating and more detailed analysis.

“While the jaw is the star of the show, other finger and rib fragments offer valuable context and potential for further research,” said Cory Harris, chair of SUNY Orange’s Department of Behavioral Sciences.

“We also hope to further explore the immediate area to see if any other bones have been preserved.”

The discovery is the first time such a find has been discovered in New York in more than 11 years. The artifacts are expected to be part of public programming starting in 2025.

“This discovery is a testament to New York’s rich paleontological history and the ongoing effort to understand its past,” Robert Feranec, director of research and collections and curator of Ice Age animals at the New York State Museum, said in a statement.

The extinction of mastodons and mammoths, along with many other large Ice Age animals, was likely caused by a combination of factors, including a changing climate at the end of the Ice Age and hunting by ancient humans.

“This mastodon jaw provides a unique opportunity to study the ecology of this magnificent species, which will improve our understanding of the Ice Age ecosystems of this region,” Feranec said. “Fossils are resources that provide remarkable snapshots of the past, allowing us not only to reconstruct ancient ecosystems, but also to provide us with a better context and understanding of the contemporary world around us.”

“Every discovery like this brings us one step closer to piecing together the whole story of New York.”