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Fisherman Finds Possible Mammoth Tooth Near Rye, NH Harbor

RYE, NH (CBS) - A New Hampshire fisherman caught more than he bargained for when he was fishing for scallops near Rye Harbor Tuesday.

Mike Anderson, owner of Fish Vessel Rimrack, noticed a 6-inch-long object mixed in with the scallop shells and rocks.

He announced his find on his business' website.

University of New Hampshire geology professor Will Clyde told the Portsmouth Herald, it may be a fossil mammoth tooth.

Woolly Mammoth Tooth
The tooth found near Rye Harbor. (Credit: Fishing Vessel Rimrack)

According to Clyde, mammoth and mastodon bones have been dragged up before, between the seacoast and the Isles of Shoals.

In Anderson's Captain's Log on his website, he urged customers to come check out his treasure.

"Be sure and check the tooth out if you're down buying scallops at the dock tonight," he wrote.

Woolly Mammoth
A UNH geologist says mammoth bones have been found in Seacoast NH in the past. (Credit: Fishing Vessel Rimrack)

Mammoths, known for their curved tusks and long hair, became extinct thousands of years ago.

Bones from mammoths are most commonly found in the south and western parts of the country.

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