LIMA TOWNSHIP, Mich., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Michigan soybean farmer James Bristle found the partial skeleton of a woolly mammoth this week, after initially thinking it might be an old fence post.
Bristle's field is located 10 miles southwest of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Professor Dan Fisher of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan told The Detroit News the recovered skeleton showed signs of being butchered. He added it was an adult male, 40 to 50 years old, and was likely 10 feet tall. It died between 11,000 and 15,000 years ago.
Fisher was contacted by Bristle after he realized the value of the find. Bristle only had Thursday available for the excavation to take place, meaning Fisher and his team worked as quickly as possible to extract and document the bones. Fisher told the Washington Post establishing the context for how the bones were placed was important to document.
Twenty percent of the recovered remains belonged to the woolly mammoth, including a skull, jaw, vertebrae and ribs. Other parts of the recovery include a small stone flake that may have been used as a tool for cutting.
Fisher said the discovery provides "excellent evidence of human activity" in the region, adding that former humans may have butchered animals like a mammoth and stored the meat to eat later.
Mammoths and mastodons populated North America almost 11,700 years ago prior to disappearing. According to Fisher, the remains of 300 mastodons and 30 mammoths have been recovered in Michigan to date.
