News: Mammoth Tusk Found Impossibly Far Away At The Bottom Of The Ocean

A tusk originally discovered in 2019 at the bottom of the Pacific has been identified as a mammoth tusk. This discovery has baffled scientists: How did it get there?

The tusk was found 185 miles off the coast of California resting about 10,000 feet (two miles) deep on the ocean floor. In July 2021, scientists were able to extract the three-meter-long tusk from the ocean floor. Now they know what it is: the tusk of an extinct Colombian mammoth.

The question remains, however: How did a mammoth tusk end up at the bottom of the ocean, 185 miles from shore?

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Despite being at the bottom of the sea for more than a millennia, the tusk has been perfectly preserved. Due to the cold, high-pressure environment of the deep ocean, the tusk has had no damage or aging since it landed in the ocean.

This is important because it is the first time scientists have encountered a mammoth tusk so well preserved and yet so far from shore and so deep. Other tusks have been found in the ocean, but only at depths of several tens of meters.

How did the tusk come out so far?

This is the mystery scientists wrestle with, but they do have a few hypotheses. Tsunamis, floods or tides have swept other carcasses or fossils out to sea. This may be what happened to the mammoth’s tusk. No other remains were found with the tusk.

DNA analysis has shown that the tusk was a Colombian mammoth. This corresponds to the closest mainland location to the tusk. Colombian mammoths roamed North America as far north as Alaska and so far south Costa Rica. Scientists are still trying to pinpoint the precise location where this particular mammoth lived.

The tusk is further tested. Mineral crusts on the tusk can indicate how long the tusk has been on the ocean floor. Tracking historical ocean currents could then lead to the origin of the mammoth on land.

The tusk will also be used for CT scans to help create 3D images that will help scientists study the internal and external structure of the tusk. They will also try to extract the DNA sequence and genome of the mammoth. All of these tests will begin to paint a picture of this particular mammoth.

The most important part of this test, however, is that it will help shed light on the evolutionary process of mammoths and how they spread across North America.