Fossilised mastodon jaw unearthed after man spots two giant teeth in garden

Experts unearthed a well-preserved mastodon jaw, as well as a piece of a toe bone and a rib fragment (New York State Museum via AP)

Scholars are hailing the discovery of a fossilised mastodon jaw discovered by a man who spotted two giant teeth while gardening at his upstate New York home this year.

The mastodon jaw and some other bone fragments were found in late September in a backyard near Scotchtown, a hamlet about 70 miles north west of New York City, officials from the New York State Museum said.