LIMA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CNN/FOX News) – A Michigan farmer was digging in a field when he discovered the bones of an 11,000-year-old woolly mammoth near Chelsea, Michigan.
The Ann Arbor News reported that the bones of a woolly mammoth were found by James Bristle in Washtenaw County’s Lima Township. Bristle says he and a friend were digging Monday when they found what they thought was a mud-covered, bent fence post.
University of Michigan professor Daniel Fisher said that the mammoth was likely an adult male in its 40s at the time of its death, and probably lived between 10,000 – 15,000 years ago.
The working hypothesis is that ancient humans brought the partial skeleton to the area with the intent of coming back for the meat on its bones later.
A University of Michigan team recovered 20 percent of the mammoth’s skeleton. About 30 mammoths have been found in Michigan to date, but most of them were not as complete as the one found
