By AP/KWMU
Grain Valley, Mo. – Construction work in eastern Jackson County, Missouri has turned up the remains of a baby mastodon who may have lived 50,000 years ago.
A construction worker came across some of the prehistoric mammal's bones last week while excavating land near Grain Valley.
The land owners contacted the University of Kansas, and paleontologists from the university unearthed more remains.
One of the paleontolgists, Larry Martin, says if enough workers help, it may take only a couple of weeks to unearth the entire skeleton.
A relative of the elephant, mastodons lived throughout North America. They typically stood six to ten feet tall and were 15 feet long.
The one discovered near Grain Valley was young, standing about five feet tall.
The land owners will decide what to do with the skeleton.