By Sylvie Belmond

belmond@theacorn.com

BONE YARD—Pieces of what appear to be a mammoth tusk were found by workers at a Pardee Homes construction site in Moorpark. Just as the Moorpark City Council voted to spend approximately $21,100 to educate the public about the skeleton of a mammoth unearthed by a Moorpark developer last March, the remains of what could be a second ancient mammoth were uncovered last week only a few miles away.

Construction workers at a Pardee Homes construction site in the north part of town found fragments of what appears to be a tusk, although they aren’t positive.

“They believe it’s a tusk, but they aren’t sure,” said Hugh Riley, assistant city manager.

The dig site has been secured but no extensive excavation has taken place yet, said Mayor Pro Tem Clint Harper. The age and condition of the fossil and the exact species of animal have yet to be determined, Harper said.

Earlier this year, construction workers in the Meridian Hills housing development project just northwest of downtown Moorpark unearthed the skeleton of the first mammoth.

The surprisingly intact remains of the prehistoric giant were said to possibly be the oldest mammoth skeleton ever found in California, officials said at the time.

Scientists have determined that the age of the first Moorpark mammoth is at least 1.2 million years, making it much older than the mammoth fossils found in other local excavations, such in the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura or at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

The city council voted in April to have the city keep ownership of the fossil, but said the remains won’t be kept in Moorpark.

The city is negotiating to keep the mammoth on permanent loan to the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, which is better equipped than the city to care for and store the ancient bones.

Moorpark officials want to keep the valuable discovery in the public’s eye, however, so they are looking for ways to share the find with local residents, especially children, through artwork and other reproductions, officials said.

The council voted to pay for replicas that would be used for teaching materials and promotional items, and to purchase an original painting that will be displayed at the new city hall.

There are no plans to reconstruct the skeleton of the prehistoric animal, but the city may want to cast replicas of some of the fossilized bones for educational and promotional purposes, officials said.