Students In The Hudson Valley Discover More Skeletal Remains

Students in the Hudson Valley continue to find skeletal remains.

What started with a homeowner bringing some unusual objects to a local college has turned into one of the more remarkable paleontological discoveries in Hudson Valley history,

SUNY Orange Students Continue Digging Up A Mastodon In An Orange County Backyard

SUNY Orange

SUNY Orange students are right in the middle of this amazing discovery.

The ongoing excavation of a mastodon discovered in an Orange County backyard has now uncovered approximately 11 ribs, at least three additional vertebrae, and bones from the feet, according to researchers from SUNY Orange and the New York State Museum.

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The find keeps growing, and so does the list of students who can say they helped dig it up.

SUNY Orange

This summer marked the second Archaeological Field Experience at the site for SUNY Orange students, who are getting the kind of hands-on learning that most college students never get. The class included students from across disciplines, not just science majors, which made for an interesting dynamic at the dig site.

"This is really cool. It's not usually my thing to be digging in the dirt," Camilla Adamowicz, one of the students who took part despite not considering herself a natural archaeologist, said in a press release.

Favorable weather this summer allowed the class to spend more time in the field than expected. Lab days on campus gave students a chance to sort and catalog what they found, and the college is now preparing to involve student volunteers in cleaning and conserving the mastodon remains, adding another layer of hands-on experience with what is an exceptionally rare find.

Remains First Found In 2024

SUNY Orange

An Orange County homeowner noticed unusual objects on their property and brought them to SUNY Orange in 2024.

Dr. Cory Harris, chair of the college's Behavioral Sciences Department and a professor of anthropology and sociology, identified two of the objects as mastodon teeth.

SUNY Orange

He connected the family with the New York State Museum, which led to a formal excavation and eventually the discovery of a complete mastodon jaw and the growing collection of bones that were just found.

"This has become an incredible learning opportunity for our students," Harris said. "We are excited to have them play a role in preserving and studying these remarkable pieces as we continue to learn more about this mastodon and the site where it was found."

Once-In-A-Lifetime Dig Unearths Mastodon Remains in Orange County, New York

The excavation is an ongoing collaboration between the New York State Museum and SUNY Orange.

Mastodons roamed North America roughly 10,000 to 13,000 years ago before going extinct at the end of the last Ice Age.