Wednesday, November 20, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Prehistoric bones from Prineville at university
PRINEVILLE (AP)
4 Researchers at Eastern
Oregon University are ana-
lyzing prehistoric bones that
were unearthed in a gravel
pit near Prineville by an
employee of a company that
mines for construction mate-
rials such as rock and sand.
The tusk, cranium and
other bones likely belonged
to a prehistoric mammoth
or mastodon, The Bulletin
reported on Friday, but it9s
unclear why there aren9t more
bones among the partially fos-
silized remains.
<Something looked a
little funny in the ground,=
said Comstock, an employee
of Knife River Corp., who
found the bones in March. <I
grabbed a couple of guys to
see what we had discovered.=
Mammoths and mastodons
survived in North America
until about 10,000 years
ago. Scientists do not have
a definitive reason for their
extinction, although climatic
changes and hunting by pre-
historic people are believed
to be the two most critical
factors.
<I have been doing this
work my whole life, and you
always believe you might find
something. It9s just a once-in-
a-lifetime opportunity,= said
the 45-year-old Comstock,
an operator of heavy digging
equipment since the age of 12.
Knife River contacted
Craig Woodward, the owner
of the sand and gravel field, to
report the find.
<It was (Woodward9s)
mammoth, and we wanted
him to be able to see it as
it was found. He was very
impressed,= said Tony Spilde,
Knife River spokesman.
Woodward, a graduate of
Eastern Oregon University,
contacted his alma mater to
assist in the recovery of the
specimen. The 72-year-old
died just a month after the
discovery of the site. Shortly
afterward, university faculty
visited the area and agreed to
conduct an excavation of the
partially fossilized bones at
a later date. Faculty and stu-
dents returned in the fall to
perform the dig.
<It would have been great
if he could have watched the
faculty and students from
EOU 4 they were true pro-
fessionals, and it was great to
work with them,= Spilde said.
The remains were taken
back to the EOU campus in
La Grande.
Recovered bones include
the cranium, a front arm and
several vertebrae and ribs,
said Rory Becker, the anthro-
pology and archaeology pro-
fessor who led the dig.
A portion of the tusks near-
est the cranium are still intact,
but the tusks in general are in
poor condition, said Becker,
adding that the animal was
probably a juvenile, based
on the structure of the long
bones.
Becker, who in recent
years has been part of teams
that studied Neanderthal cave
sites in Croatia, said it9s not
clear why the majority of the
bones went missing.
Further analysis of the
bones and the sediment
around them could provide
answers, he said.
Other questions, such as
what killed the animal and
how many years ago it lived,
are yet to be determined.
Becker believes the research
could last three to five years.
The team will try to deter-
mine if the animal was a
mammoth or a mastodon _
the two are distinct animals
but remains of both have been
found in North America.
Mastodons were shorter
and stockier than mammoths,
with shorter tusks. Scientists
pay particular attention to
the teeth because mammoth
molars had flat surfaces
designed for chewing grass
while mastodon molars have
pointed cones adapted for
munching on leaves, twigs
and branches.
The remains of the animal
are expected to go on public
view upon completion of the
research. No official name has
been given yet to the speci-
men, but Becker said <The
Woodward Mammoth= is
being considered.
In addition to the science
that can be learned from the
find, Becker said the project
served as an outstanding, real-
world project for students,
and one that may help a few
decide on a career path.
<As is generally the case
with doing fieldwork for the
first time, some folks really
take to it, and for others, once
is probably enough,= said
Becker, adding that the expe-
rience could help students
make education and career
choices.
The partial skeleton is so
far the only such specimen
discovered at Woodward9s
gravel site. Comstock, the
excavator who dug up the
bones, believes there could be
more.
<We have a lot more dig-
ging out there, so who knows
what we9ll find next,= he said.
<You never know what the
next scoop of the digger will
give you.=
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