Associated pair of Mastodon Teeth (Mammut americanum)

These two matched mastodon teeth (Mammut americanum) are from the same jaw of the same animal. They are “germ teeth”-meaning the teeth had just germinated into the jaw and did not suffer any wear from grinding as the animal died prior to damaging these molars.

These two magnificent teeth have been in my friends possession since the late 90s when he acquired them. They were found by the legendary fossil collector/diver (featured in Robin Brown’s book Florida’s Fossils) Ben Waller. They were found south of Tampa in the Alafia River in Hillsboro County on 7/23/67.

Mastodon tooth caps just don’t get any better than these, and to have found these two side by side while diving is remarkable. Sadly, Ben Waller passed away some time ago.