A homeowner in New York’s Hudson Valley stumbled upon an important fossil when they noticed two teeth poking out of the topsoil in their backyard, the New York State Museum said.The museum said in a press release that the find – a complete mastodon jaw – was the first discovery of this kind in the state of New York in over 11 years.The fossil was found by a homeowner in Scotchtown, New York, who said they immediately knew they were dealing with “something special” and decided to “call in the experts.”Researchers came to the property and recovered the complete jaw and additional bone fragments.The jaw of the mastodon – an extinct elephantine mammal – is scheduled to be displayed publicly in 2025 after further examination. Credit: New York State Museum via Storyful