Drought in Missouri River Bares Fossil of Ancient Bison Skull Around 10,000 Years Old

Near Chamberlain, South Dakota, a bison skull fossil was recently found in the Missouri River. Locals in Kansas discovered the fossil, which is thought to be about 10,000 years old when the river was at a low level because of the drought.

The skull was discovered by two Kansas City residents named Mike Ruth and Dave Jamerson while they were exploring close to some recently discovered flow dykes in Riverfront Park, which were abnormally dry as a result of the drought's effects on the river.

The enormous skull, which was covered in mud and mussels, was then discovered by the two. The enormous skull, which was covered in mud and mussels, was then discovered by the two.

Ruth told KCTV5 that it was immediately obvious that it was a really cool item of interest.

Jamerson stated that he assumed it to be a bison right away.

Missouri River Water Levels

This unexpected fossil treasure was discovered by Jamerson and Ruth thanks to the unusually low river levels.

The Missouri River has been unusually low over the past year, and as of October 2022, 90% of the Missouri River basin was experiencing some kind of drought or abnormally dry weather. According to the US Drought Monitor, Kansas City, which is located on the border of Kansas and Missouri, is currently undergoing abnormally dry weather.

On October 18, 2013, three months prior, Kansas City was experiencing "extreme drought," the second-worst type of drought according to the Drought Monitor. The Missouri River level is currently 4.9 feet, having dropped to a low of 1.3 feet on December 29. This is in high contrast to June 2022, when the Missouri River's Kansas City gauge recorded a river height of up to 20 feet.

Also Read: Fossil Found in Scottish Highlands Spark Speculation About Scotland's National Animal: The Unicorn

Bison Antiquus

The skull may actually belong to an extinct species known as bison antiquus, or the antique bison, claims Melissa Eaton, the Metropolitan Community College's Longview Campus social science department chair and the Kansas City Archaeological Society president.

She told KCTV5 that the skull's top is beautiful and that the horns are a fantastic set. Bison antiquus was the dominant species in this region ten thousand years ago.

It is estimated that bison antiquus, which crossed a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska around 240,000 to 220,000 years ago, went extinct around 10,000 years ago. Modern bison is about 6.6 feet tall and can weigh up to 2,800 pounds, but these bison were larger, reaching a height of 7.4 feet and weighing up to 3,500 pounds, according to Warkworth Western Weekend Rodeo.

According to Eaton, this particular fossil discovery was unusual because of its size and degree of preservation.

Eaton added that she would have been thrilled to discover this and that it's pretty remarkable.

Even though Jamerson and Ruth are still deciding what to do with their find, they are happy to have found this unusual specimen, Newsweek reports.

Missouri River Fossils

In August of 2022, a man who joined a tournament threw a bad cast into the waters of the Missouri River. He later realized, what he saw in the water was something different.

When he called an expert, they found out that it was a 90-million-year-old fossil. They later nicknamed the fossil "Bulldog Fish," according to KETV7 Omaha.