Missouri Fossil Hunter Extracts Giant Ice Age Bone From Riverbed

On February 13, Missouri fossil enthusiast Jason Howery amazed many when he unearthed an enormous prehistoric bone from a local river near Ravenwood. This impressive find, thought to be a femur belonging to a mammoth or mastodon, was documented on video and quickly gained widespread attention. The footage captures Howery wading into the water and pulling out an immense bone, which he identifies as a thighbone from one of these Ice Age giants.

An Extraordinary Riverbank Find

The pivotal moment is visually powerful: a man standing in a shallow Missouri river, gripping a fossil so large it dwarfs his hands. Seen in a video published by The New York Post, Howery enters the water to recover the bone, later estimating its weight at 80 pounds. Experts believe the fossil to be a femur from either a mammoth or a mastodon.

As reported by 6abc Philadelphia, Howery mentioned that the find supports his ongoing independent research into ancient megafauna and contributes to his mission to broaden the Paleo Outreach Program, which focuses on educating communities and students.

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Instead of leaving it underwater, Howery successfully pulled the large artifact out of the riverbed, highlighting the sheer size and heft of the bone. The video, provided by Storyful, depicts sediment washing off the bone as it emerges fully from the riverbed.

From Fossil Recovery to Online Sensation

The event was covered in an article by Daily Caller, penned by Andrew Powell, a blogger focusing on sports and weather. Powell described the scene as truly extraordinary, stating that though he has reported on unusual hunting expeditions before, he had never witnessed anything quite like the extraction of a prehistoric bone from a river.

A prehistoric-bone hunter could not believe his eyes, when he found a massive femur in a river near, which he said was probably from a mammoth or mastodon. pic.twitter.com/pHC1ofWdfX
— Storyful (@Storyful) February 18, 2026

Beyond the immediate buzz, the find connects to a wider intrigue about the Ice Age. Reflecting on the era, Powell reminisced about how video games like Carnivores: Ice Age sparked his early fascination with this prehistoric period.