How The Mastodon Became Indiana's State Fossil

At some point, you've probably seen depictions of mastodons, the huge-toothed, mammoth-like creatures that roamed the planet from around 23 million years ago up until about 11,700 years ago. Fossil evidence of their existence has been uncovered all over the world — the creatures existed pretty much everywhere. Mastodon remains have been uncovered as far apart as South America and Iran, but the highest concentrations have been found in North America, where they are believed to have first evolved before making it to other continents.

Specifically, mastodons have long been associated with Indiana — the creature is even used as a sports mascot at Purdue University Fort Wayne. The state is also home to fossils of other extinct Ice Age creatures such as mammoths. But over the years, a multitu