Mastodon bones from Snowmass Village on display in the Capitol

Mastadon bone, found in Snowmass, on display in the Capitol (Boven)

The State Capitol became a museum today as mastodon bones discovered outside Snowmass Village were placed on display for members of the Legislature and public.

The tibia and tusk of the ice age creatures were placed in the Capitol by representatives of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science who were on hand for the hundreds of school children who related the bones to animated movies and characters.

While representatives said those movies took considerable liberties with the facts, the children got a good look at what inspired their animated favorites.

Dr. Richard Stucky, one of the scientists from the museum working with the bones, told The Colorado Independent the find was amazing for science. He said that due to the number of microbes and bacteria found with the bones, he along with others, would be working to reconstruct the environment that existed at the time the creatures looked more like their cartoon counterparts..

While he said only 10 percent of the site was excavated, they planned on saving the rest of the site for future scientific excavation as new technologies are developed. He said more of the mastodon on display would likely be found.

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