Indeed, New Mexico State University recently revealed that it received a call last year from the parents of nine-year-old Jude Sparks, who had literally stumbled over a 1.2m-year-old fossil. Sparks was out walking with his family in Las Cruces, New Mexico, when he tripped over something jutting out from the earth. The university estimates that the process to study and reconstruct the skull, jaw and tusks will take several years to complete. Barrett says if you find a fossil you should always seek the landowner’s permission before removing it from the ground. And remember, if it looks like a fat, rotten cow, you could have a Stegamastodon.

Source: The Guardian July 30, 2017 16:52 UTC