Fossilized woolly mammoth molar raises more than $10K for Ukraine
World Central Kitchen will benefit from auction of prehistoric mammal's tooth
Ukraine’s existence is in ‘great peril’ right now: Dan Hoffman
Fox Business contributor Dan Hoffman discusses the possibility for further diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine and how the U.S. should have made better policy decisions to prevent invasion on ‘Fox Business Tonight.’
A fossilized woolly mammoth molar caught by a fisherman in December sold at auction Sunday for $10,300, the proceeds of which will be donated to aid in the Ukraine crisis.
"I looked back and saw what looked like some kind of arthropod stuffed into the pile," fisherman Asher Molyneaux told National Fisherman (NF) of his discovery, which was made off the coast of Massachusetts. "I went back and grabbed it, and said, ‘That’s a mammoth tooth.’ I don’t know how I knew that, I must have seen a picture somewhere."
"I know there were some living on an island north of Siberia back when the pyramids were being built," he added.
According to University of New Hampshire Paleontologist William Clyde, the specimen Molyneaux found is likely 10,000 to 15,000 years old.
"I’ve been here at UNH for over 20 years," Clyde told NF. "In that time, we’ve seen about five of these hauled up. It’s always fishermen. That’s about the only way we get specimens."
The auction claimed "fossils found off the coast of northern Massachusetts are probably from sediments that were laid down at the end of the last Ice Age, between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. The sea level was significantly lower at the time due to the rebound of the crust when the glaciers began melting back, releasing the land from beneath the weight of the ice."
Members of the public show their support for Ukraine. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The money from the auction is slated to go to World Central Kitchen (WCK), which began working a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, serving meals to families fleeing the conflict.
Artwork of wooly mammoths ( )
"They are now set up at eight border crossings across the country," the auction page explained. "Additionally, they are supporting local restaurants preparing meals in eight Ukrainian cities including in Odessa, Lviv, and Kyiv. WCK teams are also on the ground in Romania, Moldova, Hungary, and arriving soon to Slovakia to continue providing warm meals to people in need."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In addition to offering free shipping for the ancient molar, the sellers assured potential buyers they "will carefully pack the item with plenty of bubble wrap to ensure it safely arrives to you."