Columbian_mammoth
The remains of a massive Columbian mammoth, much like the one pictured here at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, were recently uncovered in Enid, Okla. Creative Commons

Seattle construction workers uncovered a rare fossil while working on a private site this week.

According to local news station King TV, Burke Museum paleontologists are confident the find is a tusk from an Ice Age mammoth. They were called to the construction site in South Lake Union to identify the fossil after it was found.

"Because the fossil is on private property and does not seem to be associated with an archaeological site, it is up to the landowner to decide what they would like to do with the tusk," Dr. Christian Sidor of the Burke Museum said in a Tuesday news release.

Sidor added that the discovery provides a "rare opportunity to directly study Seattle's ancient natural history." The Seattle Times reports that the museum offered to excavate the tusk and supply scientists who would like to examine it.

It isn’t yet known what the property owner will do with the find.

Earth