Another mastodon bone found in Michigan

DETROIT, July 26 (UPI) -- A 3-foot-long American mastodon bone was discovered this week about 30 miles north of Detroit, Mich.

The bone is believed to be from the remains of the prehistoric mammal discovered three weeks ago in the same area. The latest discovery was made Monday evening in Rochester Hills, by a highway construction crew, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.

The newly discovered humerus -- a bone located between the elbow and shoulder -- is reported in excellent condition at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Detroit where more than 3,500 people have so far viewed the ongoing reconstruction of the animal.

The restoration of the mastodon -- a shaggy-haired ancestor of the elephant that weighed as much as 6 tons -- is now about 40 percent complete, according to Cranbrook Geologist John Zawiskie.

"So far, we've already found a whole shoulder and front leg, a lot of vertebrae and ribs and a good part of the hind leg," Zawiskie told the News. "We're really fleshing it out."