First specimen of Mastodon
American Mastodon (Mammut americanus) at
Big Bone Lick State Park in United States

Biography

☨ ⚪ First specimen of Mastodon
Museum locations
Present / last location:	Paris National Museum of Natural History, in France

Date of arrival

1740-00-00	Paris National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France

Identification


Description
Species:	American Mastodon (Mammut americanus)
Sex and age:	, unknown age
Characteristics:	bones and teeth
Origin
Born:	* wild
Birth place:	in North America unspecified forest
Death
Dead:	†
Death location:	Big Bone Lick State Park
Death reason:	:
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Big Bone Lick State Park, in United States

Date of arrival

	Big Bone Lick State Park
Record history
History of updates	2021-09-10: Updated as fossil

Latest document update	2021-09-10 09:38:17
Google map

Museum locationThe Museum specimen remains of this animal is within the collection at Paris National Museum of Natural History, in Paris, France, since 1740-00-00.

Origin

First specimen of Mastodon was born wild at North America unspecified forest.

Comments / pictures

In 1739, a French military expedition found the bones and Teeth of an enormous creature along the Ohio River at Big Bone Lick in what would become the Commonwealth of Kentucky. These finds were forwarded to Buffon and other naturalists at the Jardin des Plantes (the precursor of today’s Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle) in Paris.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2026). First specimen of Mastodon, American Mastodon (Mammut americanus) located at Big Bone Lick State Park in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 17 April 2026 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=10587. (archived at the Wayback machine)