The mastodon now on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum was discovered on a farm in Newaygo County’s Kent City three years ago by a construction crew working on a drainage project.
” I mean, you just don't find that every day. I mean, if you're lucky, you'll find maybe one element usually a tooth. Maybe you'll find, you know, two to six, but to find over 130 elements all from one individual that’s exciting.”
Grand Rapids Public Museum Science Curator Dr. Corey Redman led the team that extracted the bones from the mud and spent 18 months drying them out to study and preserve.
They learned the mastodon was a juvenile about 10 years old when it died more than 13,000 years ago.
Mounting the skeleton would damage the bones so each piece was professionally scanned for 3D printing and a reconstructed model now stands on the museum’s first floor.
“We have the standing articulated mount which is cast material, but its beautiful, exact replicas. And we have real bones on display from the mastodon and then there’s a series of ‘touch-its’ that’s stuff for people to put their hands on.”
The mastodon was named for the family who owned the land where it was found after Michael and Courtney Clapp donated it to the museum to share with generations to come.
“It should totally be a sense of pride for everybody. I mean it’s exciting to come see. This was literally found in our backyard and to be able to share it with everybody, I just think it’s great.
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