Brit fossil hunter ‘could not believe his eyes’ at huge ice age mammoth tusk

A fossil hunter is celebrating after finding a four-foot-long mammoth tusk.

Jamie Jordan, 33, uncovered the 450,000-year-old tusk in a quarry. It belonged to a steppe mammoth during the last ice age.

The incredible find has now been taken to Jamie’s Fossil’s Galore centre in March, Cambs, for preservation and so that research work to be carried out.

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Jamie, who found his first fossil when he was four years old, said: “I was on a routine visit to a local quarry when I saw it.

“I could not believe my eyes. It was sticking out like a sore thumb.

“I’ve never found a mammoth tusk before.

“They normally get broken up when they are quarried – but this one was in one piece.

“It was just on top of the ground – it was very heavy to pick up."

It’s believed, when it was alive, the mammoth would have lived in herds. It would have avoided predators including cave lions, cave hyenas and bears, and lived alongside hippos around Peterborough.

However, the tusk will now be examined for further information about its life.

The mammoth itself would have looked like a much bigger version of a modern-day elephant – up to 13 foot tall, and weighing 14 tonnes.

After recovering it from the quarry floor, the tusk was carefully wrapped to take back to March – but the Fossils Galore team had to ensure it stayed wet, to prevent it from becoming damaged.

Jamie said: “If it dries out, it is game over really.

“We will be spending the next few months working to preserve the tusk – it can take up to six months to do that.

“We will then be able to examine it to find out more about the animal’s life.”

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