Drought at Missouri River Exposes Ancient, Possibly Extinct, Bison
Bones believed to be of the antique bison, an extinct species of bison larger than modern day bison that died out around 10,000 years ago, have been discovered.
The skull of a very old, possibly extinct bison has been uncovered on the banks of the drought-stricken Missouri River.
Mike Ruth and Dave Jamerson, two Kansas City locals who regularly scavenge for interesting finds along waterways, stumbled across the skull as they were exploring near some newly-revealed flow dykes by Riverfront Park, which were unusually dry due to the drought's effects on the river.
The pair then came across the enormous skull, filled with silt and mussels.
"You could tell right away it was something really cool," Ruth told KCTV5.
"I immediately thought bison," Jamerson added.
Stock image of a bison skull. Two scavengers found the skull of an ancient bison, possibly of the extinct species Bison antiquus.Stock image of a bison skull. Two scavengers found the skull of an ancient bison, possibly of the extinct species Bison antiquus.iStock / Getty Images PlusThe unusually low river levels allowed Jamerson and Ruth to come across this unexpected fossil windfall.
The Missouri has been exceptionally low in this past year, with 90 percent of the Missouri River basin experiencing some form of abnormally dry conditions or drought as of October 2022. Kansas City, at the border between Kansas and Missouri, is currently experiencing "abnormally dry conditions", according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Three months ago, on October 18, Kansas City was suffering from "extreme drought," the Drought Monitor's second-highest drought rating. Since June 2022, when the Kansas City gauge on the Missouri measured the river height as being up to 20 feet, the level levels are currently 4.9 feet, having reached a low of 1.3 feet on December 29.
According to Melissa Eaton, the chair of the social science department at Metropolitan Community College's Longview Campus and president of the Kansas City Archaeological Society, the skull may actually be that of an extinct species called bison antiquus, or the antique bison.
"It's a great set of horns, a lovely top of the skull," she told KCTV5. "Ten thousand years ago, [Bison antiquus] were a dominant species in this area."
Bison antiquus is thought to have gone extinct around 10,000 years ago, having migrated from Siberia across a land bridge into Alaska between 240,000 and 220,000 years ago. These bison were larger than modern bison: while bison today are around 6.6 feet high and weigh up to 2,800 pounds, Bison antiquus reached 7.4 ft, with weights of up to 3,500 pounds.
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This particular fossil discovery was unusual due to its large size and how intact it was, Eaton said.
"It's pretty remarkable," Eaton said. "I would have been very excited to find this."
Jamerson and Ruth are still trying to figure out what to do with their find, but are excited that they had been the ones to have discovered this rare specimen.
"Anybody could have found it," Jamerson said. "I'm just lucky to be that guy."
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