Discovery Puts Humans in Michigan 2,000 Years Earlier

I suppose when we think of mammoths and mastodons, we tend to think of them as belonging to another world, not just another era. The assumption that those ancient beasts could only be found where their modern day ancestors, elephants, roam, is certainly understandable. It might surprise you, dear reader, to learn that Michigan used to be home to a great many of these Ice Age creatures. In fact, University of Michigan paleontologists recently excavated a farm near Chelsea where in-tact skeletal remains were unearthed. Known as The Bristle Mammoth, named so after the dig site, the team captured video of it's discovery. Take a look below.

So how old is the Bristle Mammoth? Radicarbon dating reveals that the remains are estimated at over 15,000 years old, just missing the beginning of the craft beer craze. Some would wonder at the significance of yet another mammoth/mastodon discovery's significance, but this particular specimen has markings that indicate human interaction; meaning marks made by tools. According to the article in Science Daily:

The oldest well-documented, published evidence for humans in Michigan is about 13,000 years ago, the age of the spear-wielding Clovis hunters. But several lines of evidence from the Bristle Mammoth, including the single radiocarbon date, imply that humans processed the carcass more than 2,000 years before the Clovis hunters arrived.

This single discovery could change everything that scientists know about early Michigan and change the perception of early human/mammoth interaction. More digs are scheduled. Who knows what will be unearthed next.

Michigan Home to Over 300 Mastodons