Ancient Mammal Fossil Unearthed: Workers find 40–45 million-year-old bones; scientists probe mystery species

A routine infrastructure project in Oceanside, California, has uncovered a glimpse of a world that existed tens of millions of years before humans. The City of Oceanside first announced the discovery on September 22, while reporting from the Los Angeles Times, NBC 7 San Diego and the San Diego Union-Tribune provided additional details about the excavation and the scientists working to identify the animal. The fossilised remains were found about 12 feet beneath the surface during excavation for a city water infrastructure project. Several limb bones, ribs and other fragments were recovered, with the largest bone measuring more than two feet long, according to the Los Angeles Times. What makes the discovery particularly intriguing is that scientists still cannot say exactly what animal the bones belonged to.A mystery buried beneath modern OceansidePaleontologist Joseph El Adli was conducting routine monitoring at the construction site when he spotted what appeared to be bone protruding from the excavation. The discovery prompted the area to be secured and the excavation to shift from ordinary construction work to a careful fossil recovery operation.The fossils were embedded in the Sa...