University of Michigan paleontologists have discovered 40 additional mammoth bones during a second excavation at a southeast Michigan farm.
The Ann Arbor News reports that the second excavation at the Chelsea site was conducted in an effort to confirm the age of the woolly-Columbian mammoth hybrid bones found in 2015. The university says a preliminary analysis indicates that the bones are more than 15,000 years old.
Paleontologists spent one day excavating the site in 2015 after farmer Jim Bristle discovered the bones. The first dig uncovered 55 to 60 mostly intact mammoth bones, which accounts for between 30 to 40 percent of the animal.
Paleontologist Daniel Fisher says the second dig prioritized reconstructing the geological context of the animal's remains.
Researchers have determined that the mammoth was likely a 45-year-old male.
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Information from: The Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/ann-arbor
