Mastodon tooth found on the beach by Jennifer Schuh
Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network and is a story with a twist. Finding a tooth is in itself not the best good news. What happens later is definitely good news.
Woman Finds Foot-long Mastodon Tooth From Ice Age on a California Beach
When a California woman found what looked like used firewood on a beach, she snapped some photographs of the nevertheless strange-looking object and went on her way.
As it turns out, she had stumbled across something remarkable—a mastodon tooth, and after posting pictures of it on Facebook, set off a chain reaction that led to quite the saga.
“She didn’t know what it was, the importance of it. It looks like a piece of old firewood. So she left it there. It’s understandable,” said Wayne Thompson, a paleontology collections advisor for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
KRON4 News reports that Santa Cruz is a hotspot for mastodon remains, and Thompson himself actually reassembled a whole mastodon skull for the museum once: it took 2 years.
Thompson contacted the woman, Jennifer Schuh, explaining the situation and asking her to go back and retrieve the foot-long bone, but, as she arrived there, she realized that unlike her, someone else didn’t pass up the chance to pocket the super rare find.
A weekend of beachcombing didn’t turn it up, and so Thompson went to social media pleading to the new mystery owner to do the right thing and turn it over to the museum.
Then, a call came in from the nearby town of Aptos. Jim Smith had found it on a regular beach jog. According to Mr. Smith, he also didn’t know what it was but took it home rather than to social media.
Jim donated it to the museum.
“It’s super, super, super important for understanding elephant life in Santa Cruz County during the last Ice Age. There are only a few mammoth specimens, and mammoths are more common than mastodons. Aptos was a popular destination for Ice Age proboscideans,” Thompson told KRON4. “It’s a piece of Santa Cruz history.”
Alive for between 5 million and 10,000 years ago, mastodons are the smaller, rarer cousins of mammoths, and while Santa Cruz is famous for their remains, this is only the third-locally recorded mastodon fossil.
Schuh didn’t get to take home such an important piece of natural history and set it above her mantle, but she went online and bought a scaled replica to wear as a necklace, saying it’s not often one gets to touch something with so much history.
The good news here is Jim Smith was a conscientious citizen and turned the tooth over to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. Today’s JohnKu talks about conscientiousness. I hope you have a super weekend.
The Right Thing by John W. Howell © 2023
Doing the right thing,
Is not a glory matter . . .
But citizenship.
Fiction Favorites 
Kudos to Smith for doing the right thing and helping to contribute to our learning more about the past. Good stuff, Sheriff.
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Thank you, Pilgrim.
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Have a great start to your weekend Boss.
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Thank you. You as well.
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So nice to hear about someone doing something for the greater good rather than personal gain. All too rare in this day and age it seems.
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I agree, Lori. Thanks.
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That’s really cool. Nice that the guy gave it to the museum.
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I thought so too.
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This is definitely worthy of a Friday spot, John. I love that Smith did the right thing and donated it to the museum. Wonderful.
Happy Friday, John!
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I thought the twist in the story was worth a Friday feature. Thanks, Dale
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Absolutely. 🙂
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Wow! Such an amazing turn of events.
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I thought so too, Annette. 😁
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Great! Everybody doing the right thing !
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Now if this could be repeated 8 billion times this would be a different world. Do you hear that Mr. Putin?
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Cool story. I knew what it was from the picture, but not down to individual species.
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Does look like a tooth. Can’t imagine that woman thinking it was firewood.
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Not an ivory one, but a big molar.
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Pretty amazing! Finds like this one help us put TIME in perspective of the larger journey. Thank you for sharing, John, and for offering another great JohnKu.
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Thank you, Gwen. Our travels get lost in that larger journey.
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Imagine how everything had to align just so in order for this find to end up in the right hands. (And so glad it did!) Love the story and the John-Ku.
Thanks for the smiles. Happy weekend, John.
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Thank you, Staci. Wishing you a happy weekend as well.
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What an amazing discovery! It’s awesome and how wonderful that the tooth could end up where it should be. Good news indeed!
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I agree, Noelle. Thank you for reading and the comment.
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What an inspiring story, John, and to think it all turned out so well! It’s great to read news like this for a change, and I’m so glad you shared it with us. Your JohnKu was perfect, too. Loved it! 😀 ❤
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Thank you, Marcia. 😊
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A lovely story and message in the JohnKu! Thanks for sharing, John. Hugs 🤗💕🙂
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Thank you, Harmony. I hope you have a peaceful weekend.
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Every time l hear a story of someone doing the right thing it helps strengthen my faith in human nature. Thanks, John for sharing this tidbit of moral responsiveness. 👍
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Thank you, Jim. I feel the same way. Have a great weekend.
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What an awesome find! I’m glad the guy that found it gave it to the museum and she found him through social media. That’s one of the best uses of social media en mon avis.
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I agree. Thank you, Deborah
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Wonder what they would have done if was a 100-dollar bill instead of a old tooth.
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She wouldn’t claim it looked like firewood I tell ya.
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Nice to hear about someone doing the right thing. Before I read the post, my first impression of the picture was a tooth.
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Mine too. I can’t believe the woman took the photo and then thought it was firewood.
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What an incredible story! Glad the tooth found its way to the right place.
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Me too. Thanks, Jan.
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fascinating and uplifting but that’s one trunk swinging dude in need of a decent dentist…
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I think you are right, Geoff. I’m thinking implants.
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Now that would fund an orthodontist’s retirement plan
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Think of the laughing gas bill.
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no joke…
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No kidding.
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Stories like this help me to believe in people again. I like that.
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Me too, Pam
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What an inspiring story! Love your JohnKu too. Thanks for sharing, John.
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Thnak you, Jill. I’m so glad you liked it
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Amazing find, and donated to the museum, as it should be! That is the right thing to do, and your JohnKu says it well. Thank you, John.
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Thank you, Tim
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Your JohnKu is the perfect commentary on doing the right thing.
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Thank you, Liz
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Doing the right thing…amen!
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What a find!
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I know right?
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Definitely a feel good story, John.
Also, it’s a story of evolution, and the importance of its documentation.
Yes, Jim did the right thing. So did Jennifer.
Unwittingly, they made a good team.
Your JohnKu is an important message to all.
🐂🐂🐂🐂
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Thank you, Resa. It is a good example of people doing the right thing. Glad you kied the JohnKu. 🐂 📦-b 🐂 📦-b
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🐂 📦-b x 4
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4(😊X)
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💋4(😊X)
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4(💋4(😊X))
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That is so cool! I love love love old stuff. I wish I had been that lady to get to touch something like that. Amazing!
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It would be amazing. Thanks, Betsy
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Reblogged this on https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for sharing, Michael.
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Wow, what an amazing find. I’m glad the good citizen returned the bone to the museum. 🙂
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It is a good story for sure.
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🙂
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😁
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Impressive news, dear John! Thank you!
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🍰🥂
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Fascinating discovery! Good for Jim to do the right thing.
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Yes. I thought so too.
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