Did You See the Woolly Mammoth Tooth Found by a Maine Fisherman Last Year?
Geologists at the University of New Hampshire identified a 12,000-year-old woolly mammoth tooth caught off the shore of Plum Island in Newburyport, Massachusetts, last year.
The tooth was found last December by Captain Tim Rider while he was dredging for scallops, according to NECN.
According to the New England Fishmongers, a Facebook group that catches and sells fish caught off the New Hampshire and Maine seacoast, the tooth was on display at Captain Rider's restaurant in Kittery, Maine.
Knowing people would be interested in purchasing this piece of pre-human history, Captain Rider decided to do something incredible: donate 100% of the proceeds to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, according to NECN.
The 11-inch, seven-pound woolly mammoth molar was posted on eBay for auction. In about five days, the ancient artifact was sold to the highest bidder – over $10,000.
WOW.
With the sale, the tooth left Rider's restaurant and was briefly replaced with $10,300.
According to a Facebook post from New England Fishmongers, that money went directly to the World Central Kitchen, whose mission at the time was to serve hot meals in Ukrainian cities and feed those refugees fleeing the country.
"I can't imagine what it is like for folks over there, so we found a charity that works with food, and our chefs know the chefs who started that," said Rider in the NECN article. "Obviously, I can't solve the world's problems as a fisherman, but I can contribute to help the people that are suffering."
Look at this freaking thing.