Rare mammoth skull puzzles scientists

The rare mammoth fossil is a significant find because it indicates that the mammal roamed the area at around the same time as humans. Photo: TNS

The skull of a mammoth – possibly roaming the planet 13,000 years ago – was unearthed from an eroding stream in the Santa Rosa Island at Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Southern California.

Embedded in the stream bank, the “exceptionally well-preserved fossil” with tusks is a rare find, especially because it would indicate the mammoth roamed the islands at nearly the same time as humans.