Fossils of Prehistoric Species from Up to 10 Million Years Old Including Rhinos, Camels Discovered

A herd of prehistoric species aged from five to 10 million was recently discovered, the East Bay Municipality Utility District said on Tuesday.

Specifically, according to an Eminetra.com report, the fossils were found in the Mokerumne River, located in Calaveras County.

Among these fossils were specimens of species like rhinos, fish, turtles, camels, turtles, horses, tapirs, two mastodons, and four Gonfosea.

According to EBMUD's Nelsy Rodriguez, these finds have made them realize that there are still many things to learn, when it comes to geographic conditions, it is in fact, a drop in buckets compared to the other parts of the world.

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Among the First Discoveries

EBMUD Ranger Greg Francek was traversing 28,000 acres of protected land in the hills close to the town of Valley Springs and the main source of drinking water for more than one million residents in East Bay last year.

A similar Rocky Daily News report said Francek found the fossil in July after he identified the petrified tree. The EBMUD ranger has worked with Chico State University scientists to be the "second eye on bone collection."

It paved the way for an extensive archeological project to fill the gap in life prior to the moving in of humans.

Among the first discoveries, Francek said, were large proboscideans, essentially ancestral elephants like Gonfosea, considered part of Mastodon. They also found turtle and horse debris, said the discoverer.

He also said, a diverse assortment of fossil fauna and flora shows much about the land's dynamic natural history they work on day by day. Such a discovery, as well as the resulting scientific study, has spanned millions of years.

A Historic Discovery

Similarly, CBS Denver reported fossil recovery, as well as the high fossil concentrations, according to EBMUD, specify locations that once comprised multiple river canals which have abundant and diverse grasslands and forest ecosystems.

Essentially, a new study suggests too, that the Sierra Nevada Mountains started to rise tens of millions of years back. Such fossils signify essential bookmarks in millions of years of history, EBMUD said.

BMUD Board president, Doug Linney said, this historic find shows that the Mokerumun basin is playing a much deeper role in understanding the natural history of North America.

It's just strange, he added, that these prehistoric species help fill the gap in the understanding of the formation of this area, as well as the planet.

The district said it also set up an archeological area over miles of land of EBMUD with experts in paleontology and geology at Chico State University.

Work of Restoration Supported by Experts

Additionally, restoration work is going on, and is supported by experts from Sierra College, Sacramento, Sierra Nevada University, Environmental Science Associates, California Geological Survey, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, state EBMUD.

Such a discovery is essential because, experts said, the fossil deposits discovered in California are not extremely high. However, for those who want to check it directly, this report said, they're out of luck. Accessing such excavation areas is prohibited.

Related information is shown on National Geographic's YouTube video below: