{"product_id":"mastodon-tooth-fossil-specimen-usa","title":"Fossil Mastodon Tooth - Specimen","description":"\u003cp\u003eFossil Mastodon Tooth, Quaternary period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLocality\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: U.S.A.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e:\u003cspan\u003e Cenozoic\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeological Age\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: Pleistocene, approximately 2.58–0.0117\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe American mastodon, \u003cem\u003eMammut americanum\u003c\/em\u003e, lived in North America from the Pliocene, about 3.7 million years ago, until the end of the Pleistocene. Its fossils have been found from Alaska to Florida and as far south as central Mexico. It stood about 3 m tall at the shoulder, and both males and females had tusks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe French naturalist Georges Cuvier coined the name mastodon in 1817, from the Greek \u003cem\u003emastos\u003c\/em\u003e (breast) and \u003cem\u003eodous\u003c\/em\u003e (tooth), after the nipple-shaped cusps on its molars. Those cone-shaped cusps were suited to crushing twigs, leaves and shrubs, and studies of mastodons in New York State show they favoured plants like spruce and pine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eMastodons look like elephants but are not closely related: according to the American Museum of Natural History, their lineage branched off about 25 million years ago. Mastodons and many other large mammals died out about 10,000 years ago, most probably through a combination of climate change and human hunting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis one of a kind mastodon tooth fossil specimen is a partial molar section with several rounded conical cusps still preserved in a row. The tooth is dark black to charcoal in color with a worn, naturally textured surface and a heavy, solid look. The broken sides and exposed underside show its internal structure and fossilization, while the raised chewing ridges give it a bold, sculptural shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1004\" data-end=\"1446\"\u003eWhat makes this piece stand out is the classic mastodon-style chewing surface. Unlike mammoth teeth, which have tightly packed grinding plates, mastodon molars are built with distinct cone-like cusps for crushing and shredding tougher plant material such as twigs, leaves, and coarse browse. This specimen keeps that recognizable form, and even as a partial tooth it has strong visual impact because the cusps remain high and clearly defined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1448\" data-end=\"1769\"\u003eCollectors are often drawn to mastodon teeth because they carry a direct connection to Ice Age life and extinct megafauna. This piece has that appeal in a very raw way. It feels ancient, substantial, and unmistakably fossil, with the kind of rugged preservation that makes it especially interesting as a display specimen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuantity\u003c\/strong\u003e: 1pc\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWith this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph. We do what we can to buy good quality products and price them honestly. The rocks may differ from the photos, but we hope we do them justice.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"U.S.A.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48225521139882,"sku":null,"price":700.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/7158\/3658\/files\/MastodonTooth-7001.jpg?v=1776471275","url":"https:\/\/rubblerockandgem.com\/it\/products\/mastodon-tooth-fossil-specimen-usa","provider":"Rubble Rock And Gem","version":"1.0","type":"link"}