Talk about one helluva find.
A few New Hampshire fishermen were on a fishing expedition, when they caught something unimaginable…
A 12,000-year-old fossilized mammoth’s tooth.
Tim Rider, captain of the Portsmouth-based New England Fishmongers, told Seacoastonline:
“It’s in pretty good shape.”
The fishermen were looking for scallops off of Newburyport, Massachusetts, in December, when they caught the fossilized tooth. Rider brought the 11-inch, seven-pound tooth to the University of New Hampshire, where experts identified the it as a 100% authentic mammoth’s tooth.
They estimated it to be between 10,000 to 15,000 years old.
UNH geology professor Will Clyde said the tooth was quite big, and although other fishermen have brought in fossils, Rider’s was the best-preserved, while also noting that the discovery took him back in time:
“I always love thinking about the landscape in New England. With mammoths and mastodons walking around, and in terms of geological times, that wasn’t that long ago.”
The tooth is now located at Rider’s restaurant in Kittery, Maine.
However, since the escalating Russian invasion of Ukraine began, he plans to auction the tooth off on eBay, and donate 100% of the proceeds to Ukraine.
The money will specifically go to World Central Kitchen, a charity founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres committed to serving Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country.
As of today, the bidding was up to $9,600.
Rider continued:
“I’m a fisherman but anytime you see families and children struggling in that type of situation you really try to be thankful for what you have and do what you can to help.”
Classy move, sir.
