10,000-year-old mammoth bones found at Oregon State construction site
In the midst of excavating for the expansion project to Reser Stadium, Oregon State got more than it bargained for Tuesday, as workers found what are believed to be 10,000-year-old mammoth bones just beneath the surface in Corvallis.
According to the Corvallis Gazette-Times, OSU spokesman Steve Clark revealed the bones may be from more than one animal:
“We believe we have an intact femur from a mammoth,” Clark said. “There also appear to be bones from other species, including possibly a bison and a camel.”
The area of the discovery will be the home to the Beavers' new football locker room, which begs the question: Are mammoth bones a sign of good or bad fortune?
"Maybe the archaeologist can tell you if it's good luck," Clark said.
A member of the Elephantidae family, mammoths are believed to have gone extinct about 4,500 years ago. These photos give a good indication of how big this animal would have been during its lifetime:
This 10,000-year-old creature made its final touchdown in Reser Stadium. What was it? Mammoth. #gobeavs pic.twitter.com/PsRAzMBM2l
— Oregon State (@oregonstateuniv) January 27, 2016
Oregon State has dinosaur bones under their stadium..... pic.twitter.com/VZYGad4jZa
— Malena Udani (@malenaaa_) January 26, 2016
10,000-year-old mammoth bones found during construction at Oregon State University football stadium via /r/news @OS… pic.twitter.com/4p1kSnlulq
— Worldnews News (@2016dailynews) January 27, 2016
Upon discovery of the bones, some wisecracking Reddit users reacted accordingly:
The Oregon State mammoth was over 10,000 years old! /r/CFB readers try to put that into perspective: pic.twitter.com/OOx5Hwb3wb
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 27, 2016