A backhoe operator noticed something red in the soil and called others over to investigate. The team uncovered two leg bones too large to belong to farm animals, sparking several calls that brought Grand Rapids Public Museum staff and a University of Michigan researcher to the scene in Kent County.

“It’s a little unusual because it’s such a young animal. It’s not the adult (dental structure),” the researcher told Mlive.com.

He said the ancient elephant-like creature lived to be around 10 to 12 years old. The museum curator said the juvenile was unlikely to be reassembled as a full skeleton because only 40-60% of the complete skeleton was recovered.

“Very rarely do you find a complete skeleton, especially of a large vertebrate like this. We didn’t find the skull or any of the tusks, unfortunately, but we found a lot of other really great stuff,” he said.

The field owner where the bones were found tentatively agreed to donate them to the museum, and the university will have control over the bones for further study.