'MOORPARK MAMMOTH' FOUND DURING CONSTRUCTION.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer An almost intact mammoth fossil estimated to be up to a million years old - possibly older - was found on a construction site where hundreds of homes are being built, officials said Thursday. Construction workers unearthed Unearthed is the name of a Triple J project to find and "dig up" (hence the name) hidden talent in regional Australia. Unearthed has had three incarnations - they first visited each region of Australia where Triple J had a transmitter - 41 regions in all. the remains of what is believed to be one of two species of mammoth at the Meridian Hills development site last week. The project paleontologist for William Lyon Homes Inc. noticed the bones during routine grading on a 350-acre site north of Moorpark. ``It was absolutely amazing to think that you're standing right next to a creature that had roamed that same area hundreds of thousands of years ago,'' said City Councilman Keith Millhouse. ``It's a very humbling experience. You hear about these finds and discoveries, but you don't expect them in your own back yard.'' A group of paleontologists will be on-site for the remainder of the week unearthing and preserving the rest of the bones. The pieces will most likely be taken to the Los Angeles County Museum Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, Calif. The original museum opened in 1913. Among its important patrons was William Randolph Hearst, whose enormous collection brought the museum major status among the country's art houses. of Natural History. However, because the fossil is legally the property of Moorpark, the City Council is expected to make the final decision of where to display it. Some pieces of the mammoth, which stood 12 feet tall at the shoulders, with 8-foot-long tusks, have already been moved, officials said. The skeleton is up to 75 percent complete and is probably from the Pleistocene Epoch Pleistocene epoch (plī`stəsēn), 6th epoch of the Cenozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale, table). According to a classification that considered its deposits to have been formed by the biblical great flood, the epoch was , said Assistant City Manager Hugh Riley. ``It may be one of the oldest fossil remains they have found in California,'' he said. ``It predates the mammoth in the La Brea Tar Pits La Brea Tar Pits Fossil field in Hancock Park (formerly Rancho La Brea), Los Angeles, Calif., U.S. It is the site of “pitch springs” oozing crude oil, formerly used by local Indians for waterproofing, and was explored by Gaspar de Portolá's expedition in .'' The city of Moorpark last year approved the Paleontological pa·le·on·tol·o·gy n. The study of the forms of life existing in prehistoric or geologic times, as represented by the fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms. Resources Salvage Plan, which gives the developer directions on how to handle such discoveries. Several city leaders toured the area Thursday afternoon to see the ``Moorpark mammoth'' for themselves. ``The paleontologist said the mammoth was probably a male because he was pretty stupid,'' said Mayor Pro Tem [Latin, For the time being.] An abbreviation used for pro tempore, Latin for "temporary or provisional." A person who acts as a temporary substitute serves pro tem. Clint Harper jokingly. ``He may have been entrapped in mud and died. Females won't let that happen. They're too intelligent.'' Paleontologist E. Bruce Lander, one of the main paleontologists coordinating the recovery efforts, said the jaw of an imperial mammoth was found in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. in the early 1900s. He said the bones found in Moorpark could be from an imperial mammoth or an older species. ``This is exciting - just the anticipation of finding out what it might be. If it is the older one, it is extremely rare for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. .'' Eric Leach contributed to this report. Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Paleontologist Mark Roeder, second from right, and field technician Dave Alexander, right, look over casts containing pieces of the mammoth fossil at the site of the discovery. Michael Owen
(2) An 8-foot-long tusk once belonging to the mammoth was found at the home construction site near Moorpark. Julie Brodie/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion