KENT COUNTY, Mich. (WWMT) — A construction project turned
into a dig site after road crews uncovered mastodon bones last
week in Michigan.
The skeleton appeared to be 60% of a single, juvenile mastodon
that died over 11,700 years ago, according Dr. Cory Redman, the
Grand Rapids Public Museum’s science curator.
Crews were working on the Geers Intercounty drain construction
project in Newaygo when Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker said
an orange tint in the soupy mud had the team growing suspicious
that it could be bones.
Dr. Redman said the bones are expected to be on view at the
Grand Rapids Public Museum, but the conservation process
could take up to 1 1/2 years until they’re ready for display.
The museum is working with the University of Michigan’s
Museum of Paleontology to continue studying the bones.
Grand Rapids Public Museum Science Curator Dr. Cory
Redman.