Argentina discovers longest mastodon tusk in South America

The Museo Paleontológico de San Pedro has announced the discovery of the longest mastodon tusk ever recorded in South America. Found in the Bajo del Tala area near Río Tala in Buenos Aires province, the fossil belongs to a Notiomastodon platensis.

The specimen measures 2.34 meters in length, surpassing the previous regional record of 2.05 meters established by naturalist Florentino Ameghino in 1876 by nearly 30 centimeters. The tusk has a base diameter of approximately 20 centimeters and tapers to 10 centimeters at the tip.

The discovery was made during routine weekly geological surveys at the El Silencio ranch. Due to the extreme fragility of the fossil, researchers led by Director José Luis Aguilar utilized a protective structure made of wire mesh and liquid plaster to prevent fractures from vegetation or handling during extraction and transport.