{"id":40550,"date":"2024-08-08T13:08:38","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T11:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b3ae5adb-d24e-4ca7-8d15-90ceaf07cca7"},"modified":"2024-08-08T14:28:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T12:28:44","slug":"child-finds-mammoth-tooth-in-playground-on-vancouver-island-and-it-has-got-scientists-very-excited","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/child-finds-mammoth-tooth-in-playground-on-vancouver-island-and-it-has-got-scientists-very-excited\/","title":{"rendered":"Child finds mammoth tooth in playground on Vancouver Island \u2013 and it has got scientists very excited"},"content":{"rendered":"

Analysis of the piece of tooth, along with other mammoth samples, suggests these prehistoric giants roamed the Canadian island for much longer than was previously thought. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 August 2024 at 11:08 AM<\/p>

\n\n

A piece of mammoth tooth found in a playground on Vancouver Island has helped scientists create the clearest picture yet of when these huge prehistoric animals roamed the Pacific Coast island.<\/strong><\/p>

The specimen is one of more than 30 mammoth samples analysed in a new study, led by Laura Termes and\u00a0published<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences<\/em>, which suggests that the extinct Pleistocene mammals lived on Vancouver Island for much longer than was previously thought.<\/p>

*Mammoths once lived in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>*Woolly mammoth vs elephant: What’s the difference between these two giants?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Scientists have always known that mammoths inhabited parts of British Columbia, but the exact dates were never completely understood.<\/p>
Prior to the new study, only two mammoth remains found on Vancouver Island had ever been dated. Both lived around 21,000 years ago.<\/p>
Keen to shed more light on the subject, Termes and colleagues examined 32 suspected mammoth samples collected on Vancouver Island \u2013 including a piece of mammoth tooth found by a child in the gravel of a playground. <\/p>
$\"Locations$
Locations of mammoth remains investigated in the study. Credit: Simon Fraser University<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u201cWhen we imagine great big giant animals of the last ice age being found, we might have imagined fully articulated and complete skeletons being systematically excavated. But in southern B.C., that simply does not happen,\u201d says Termes.<\/p>
\u201cInstead, we may get an isolated molar that’s been tumbled around in the water for a long time, or maybe a piece of a tusk. And these are what everyday people are encountering.\u201d<\/p>
$\"Mammoth$
Mammoth fossils in the palaeontology collection at the Royal BC Museum. Credit: Simon Fraser University<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Of the 32 samples analysed in the study \u2013 many of which are held at the Royal BC Museum<\/a> and the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre<\/a> \u2013 just 16 were deemed suitable for radiocarbon dating.<\/p>
The youngest sample was found to be around 23,000 years old and the oldest was beyond the range radiocarbon dating could measure, meaning it was older than 45,000 years.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThis is really exciting because it shows that mammoths have lived on Vancouver Island for a long time,\u201d says Termes, who was expecting similar results [to the two samples previously dated]. “It is fantastic that they could be preserved for that long.\u201d\u00a0Termes says the study is part of a larger look at megafauna in British Columbia. Next, she plans on radiocarbon dating mammoth samples from other parts of the Canadian province.<\/p>
$\"SFU$
SFU archaeology researcher Laura Termes examines a specimen in her lab at Simon Fraser University. Credit: Simon Fraser University<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Find out more about the study: *Survival of mammoths (Mammuthus\u00a0sp.) into the Late Pleistocene in Southwestern British Columbia (Vancouver Island), Canada<\/a><\/em><\/p>*
**More amazing stories about prehistoric life on Earth<\/strong><\/p>**
**Ice ivory: how the rise of the mammoth tusk industry poses a new threat to elephants<\/a><\/li>**
**“The whole front of the mouth is just giant teeth.” Swamp monster with toilet-seat head dug up in Namibia<\/a><\/li>**
**Giant ichthyosaur found in UK might be largest marine reptile ever<\/a><\/li>**
\u201cThis place was just crazy rich with dinosaur footprints\u201d. Scientists buzzing after huge prehistoric discovery in Alaska<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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