A massive tooth believed to be at least 10,000 years old has been discovered in a California creek, offering scientists a rare glimpse into an extinct mammal that once moved across the West Coast.

The find began over the summer in San Mateo County, when a researcher noticed what first appeared to be an unusually shaped rock resting in a creek bed.

Paleontologists announced Wednesday that the object was not a rock at all, but a fully intact adult molar from a Pacific mastodon, according to a news release.

These enormous, shaggy relatives of modern elephants once ranged widely through the West, living across California, Oregon, the northern Rocky Mountains and parts of Mexico for millions of years.

Pacific mastodons lived during the Pleistocene epoch, which began around 2.5 million years ago, before the species disappeared approximately 11,700 years ago.

‘The tooth itself is in immaculate condition. It’s the most complete mastodon molar from our area, and the most spectacular mastodon molar that I’ve ever seen,’ Wayne Thompson, paleontologist and owner of the firm Pacific Paleontology, said.

‘I had chills and shivers up and down my spine,’ he added. ‘It’s another puzzle in the Ice Age saga that we can put into place.’

The remarkable find was announced by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, known as Midpen, which has preserved more than 70,000 acres of open space throughout the Bay Area. 

It came after Brigid Lynch, a geomorphologist with Balance Hydrologics, was conducting field surveys in June for a Midpen project aimed at supporting the threatened California red legged frog. 

She initially believed the object was a bizarrely shaped rock, with photos showing what appeared to be a bear claw poking out of the water. Paleontologists later revealed the groundbreaking truth. 

‘As a geologist, I’ve gone out and seen stuff in the field, but definitely nothing as exciting as this,’ Lynch said in a statement, according to Midpen’s news release.

Scientists said the Ice Age relic could shed new light on the Pacific mastodon, a distinct species that was only officially recognized in 2019. 

Narrower teeth, thicker leg bones and differences in its tusks set the Pacific mastodon apart from its American counterpart, experts explained. But much about the ancient creature remains a mystery. 

‘Unlike mammoths, which were also present in the region and fed on grasses, mastodons were considered browsers, using their massive trunks to strip leaves, soft shoots or fruits of high-growing, generally woody plants,’ the news release said. 

They are believed to have lived alongside other extinct giants in ancient California, including bison sized Jefferson’s ground sloths, Columbian mammoths and western camels.

In July, just weeks after the remarkable discovery, the tooth was donated to Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability, where scientists can continue studying the fossilized treasure. 

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Researchers plan to carbon date the tooth to determine its exact age, then create a 3D scan and printed replica that Midpen can use to educate the public about the prehistoric find.

‘Fossils are our only opportunity to see into past biodiversity,’ Christine Garcia, curator and manager of the Geoscience Specimen Collection at Stanford, said in the news release.

‘We can study fossils to better understand Earth’s past, past wildlife and the ecosystem they were a part of, and to help us make better predictions and better decisions about how to help our ecosystems and biodiversity thrive into the future.’

However, the latest find is not the first Pacific mastodon tooth discovered in the region. In 2023, a woman found a separate fossilized tooth while walking along Rio Del Mar State Beach near Santa Cruz, according to The Los Angeles Times. 

She initially thought the foot long object she spotted during the Memorial Day holiday was simply a piece of driftwood. Unsure what she had found, she posted a photo on Facebook asking if anyone knew what it was. 

‘People from Aptos find all kinds of stuff washed up on that beach, like horse teeth or fossilized sand dollars,’ Jennifer Schuh said, according to the outlet.

‘And I was like, “Well, shoot, I’m going to post this crazy thing because I have no idea what it is,”‘ she added.

Someone in the comments tagged Wayne Thompson, who also serves as a paleontology adviser for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Thompson responded to Schuh’s post, writing: ‘This is an extremely important find. Give me a call when you get the chance.’

He eventually confirmed the mystery object was a Pacific mastodon molar, which was later donated to the Santa Cruz Museum’s artifact collection. 

At the time, he revealed that the tooth was one of just three known Pacific mastodon specimens ever found in the area.

‘When this tooth was fossilized, sea levels were 300 feet lower than they are today. Elephants and mammoths could walk out to the Channel Islands,’ Thompson said, according to the LA Times.

‘It’s another piece of evidence that we have for climate change,’ he added.

A Gen Z business owner has revealed the workplace perks she considers the “bare minimum” for her team — from never refusing annual leave to covering daily café coffees and letting staff clock off early on Fridays.

Kia Buckley, the founder and CEO of Australian women’s activewear and athleisure label Kikiva, said she’s been working since the age of 15.

“How did I learn to be the boss I am today? That’s because I’ve had bosses that made me want to be nothing like them,” she said.

Kia, 25, who launched her business at 23, said difficult and even “traumatising” early work experiences shaped her approach to leadership and taught her what it means to be a good manager.

“These are the things I do as a Gen Z boss that I think are just bare minimum,” Kia said, outlining the standards she believes modern workplaces should offer employees.

Among them is a flexible start time, with her staff allowed to begin work any time between 7am and 8am.

‘Just whatever they prefer,’ Kia said.

‘Sometimes it’s early for people, whatever they want.’

The team can enjoy a free coffee at a cafe near work every day. 

‘The girls can get whatever, coffee or iced chocolate, they want on the business just to say thank you because they work so hard,’ Kia said. 

For hair or beauty appointments, the boss said she encourages her staff to pop out at any time as long as they schedule it in the calendar. 

‘No questions asked, leave whenever you like, Bob’s your uncle,’ she said. 

‘I’m not going to stop you from getting your hair done.’

Kia said her employees should be allowed to take annual leave when they want to.

The exception is the company’s ‘red zones’ – a period when the business is particularly busy due to major shopping events, such as Black Friday sales.

‘I’m massive on this one and I don’t know why businesses do it but I would never decline your leave, unless it’s in our red zone,’ she said. 

‘So we have red zones which is our peak sale periods. Even if you asked for leave and sat down and explained to me why, I’d probably make it work.’

One thing she never wanted to be as a boss was someone who was nasty to her employees. 

‘I’m just not a b****. I don’t make people feel scared of me,’ she said. 

‘The best bosses don’t act like the boss. If you were to come into our office and you didn’t know who I was, you would not think I’m the boss.’

She always ensures the office fridges are well stocked with drinks and snacks. 

‘This is like ultra bare minimum,’ Kia said.

‘Our fridges are always stocked with sugar-free drinks and muesli bars.’

For new employees, she gifts them a welcome box which consists of perfumes, hand sanitisers, activewear and bags.

‘It’s a cute little box to say welcome to the team,’ she said.

She said ‘randomly on Fridays’ she would let the girls leave work early. 

‘I’ll just get the vibe of how everyone’s going. If I had a productive week, everyone can leave,’ Kia said.

The business has an employee of the month award where the team can nominate their favourite colleague – and they get a chance to win $250. 

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There’s also a special box full of activewear so employees can take ‘whatever they like’.

‘It’s all for free,’ she said. 

For staff discounts, the team can get ‘good’ deals seven days after the collection is launched as shoppers get first priority. 

With new job opportunities, she always encourages her internal team to apply because they always ‘show us loyalty opportunity to grow within the business’.

She added: ‘I also dance every day and it’s just good vibes, and if you’re not good at vibes, you don’t work at Kikiva.’

Kia said she’s become the kind of boss she wished she’d had after experiencing anxiety while working for toxic managers. 

‘I had a boss that I just didn’t know if she was going to like me that day, if I was going to walk into a nightmare. Like do you know those bosses where they love you or they hate you that day? It gave me so much anxiety,’ she said. 

‘It was f***ed for so many years, never asked me one question about my life and didn’t actually give a f**k about me as a person.

‘She would be so angry if I was sick… it was almost like I was committing a crime.

‘I remember one time I had gastro and she didn’t speak to me for seven days. That made me cry because I needed to go to the toilet. I didn’t know that going to the toilet was not allowed.’

Kia said her boss used to yell at her in front of customers – leaving her in tears. 

‘I started crying in front of customers. The customers had to console me,’ she said.

Kia added: ‘These experiences shaped me and taught me how not to manage.’

However, Kia said before dealing with a toxic manager, she worked with an ‘amazing’ boss who taught her how to manage people respectfully.

‘I learned so much being under her. I knew I wanted to take this into my business,’ she said.

‘It was really interesting going from a good manager to a bad manager. I learned so much.’

Her video has been viewed more than 220,000 times – with many sharing horror stories about the previous bosses they worked with.

‘I wasn’t allowed to drink water at two of my old jobs unless I asked for a break. I’d ask for a break and sometimes they’d say, ‘In an hour’,’ one recalled.

‘I used to work for a horrible business. I got made redundant for no reason and it was 9-5, they had an issue with me eating a small snack, I had anxiety calling in sick at work or taking leave was made to feel bad and it’s just a joke. How are we meant to sit in front of a computer 9-5 with half an hour lunch?’ another shared.

‘I wasn’t allowed to go home from work when I had gastro,’ one revealed. 

‘My boss gave me severe PTSD and I haven’t been able to work for almost two years,’ another added. 

Many were amazed by Kia’s list of ‘bare minimum’ things – with some even asking whether she was hiring, convinced she was a ‘great boss’. 

‘As a burnt out millennial, I wish I could work for you,’ one said.

‘Are you hiring? Asking for a friend,’ another added.  

‘Sounds like a great place to work and I bet those that work for you go above and beyond because you treat them kind,’ one suggested.