The mastodon jaw and some other bone fragments were found in late September in a backyard near Scotchtown, New York.

“When I found the teeth and examined them in my hands, I knew they were something special and decided to call in the experts,” the Orange County resident said in the NYSM’s December 17th announcement, adding that he was “thrilled” by the discovery.

A complete mastodon jaw fossil was found in the backyard of a New York home, the first discovery of its kind in over 11 years.

In Scotchtown, about 70 miles northwest of New York City, one couple came upon an unusual and thrilling paleontological find in their backyard.

A complete mastodon jaw was unearthed in the backyard of a house in New York, according to the New York State Museum.

A complete mastodon jaw and additional bone fragments were unearthed from the backyard of a home in Scotchtown, N.Y., approximately 65 miles northwest of midtown Manhattan.

The New York State Museum is hailing it as a "major discovery" that will help scientists better understand once-abundant mammals.

A complete mastodon jaw was unearthed from the backyard of a residence near Scotchtown, the first of this kind of find in the state in over 11 years, by researchers from the New York State Museum and SUNY Orange,

A seemingly ordinary gardening project in upstate New York turned extraordinary when a local man unearthed a prehistor