SAN FRANCISCO, March 7, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The ancient fossilized remains of the famous Rustler Ranch Mastodon are currently up for auction. The 1997 discovery in California of the mastodon (a relative of the woolly mammoth as well as the African elephant) was heralded around the country as a rare opportunity for paleontologists to study an early example of this near-complete, pre-historic fossil. So unique was this unearthing that the Oakland Museum of California and its Chief Curator Tom Stellar had it excavated and put on exhibition as a centerpiece for well over two years. The mastodon display demonstrated the scientific process and the methods archaeologists and paleontologists use when reconstructing ancient environments and the clues buried within them.
The mastodon has been put up for auction by Roger and Nancy Fiddler through soldonlinenb.com, a premier eBay consigner in the San Francisco Bay Area. Included with the mastodon is extensive documentation that authenticates the immense historical value of this artifact.