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Description

These fossils belong to the ancestor of the modern bison, known as the bison antiquus. Bison fossils, such as the two different leg bones and the tooth fragment pictured here, are among the most common Ice Age fossils found in Tennessee. Although there are not very many Pleistocene animal fossils found in the Memphis region, the local fossils that have been found appear to have originated in clay deposits that formed in backwater swamps near the Mississippi River. As the river changed course over time these fossils were eroded out of the river bank, moved downstream by the current, and (re)deposited on features like nearby gravel bars which were also formed by the Mississippi River.

Keywords

Fossil; Bone; Bison Bone; Ice Age

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