A local fossil enthusiast in Madison County, Mississippi, stumbled upon a massive mammoth tusk according to a Monday report.

Eddie Templeton was exploring the area early in August when he made the discovery. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) said the tusk, which measures approximately seven feet in length, was partially exposed in a steep embankment, according to WJTV.

The agency believes the tusk belonged to a Columbian mammoth, a species that once roamed the Jackson Prairie of central Mississippi during the last Ice Age.

“This is the first Columbian mammoth tusk found in this area, which makes this discovery even more extraordinary,” said a representative from MDEQ in a statement to WJTV. The Columbian mammoth, significantly larger than the woolly mammoth, could reach heights of up to 15 feet at the shoulder and weigh more than 10 tons.

The tusk was transported to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson for further study and preservation. Museum paleontologists confirmed its identity, noting such finds offer valuable insights into the prehistoric fauna of the region. (RELATED: Reviving The Woolly Mammoth? Scientists Just Got A Huge Step Closer)

The Columbia mammoth was a massive species that lived in North America. Unlike its wooly mammoth relative, the Columbia beast adapted to warmer climates, favoring grasslands, savannas and open woodlands, according to the National Park Service.

They had long, curved tusks used for foraging. It is believed they lived in matriarchal herds, similar to modern-day elephants. They were primarily herbivores, consuming a diet of grass, shrubs and other vegetation. It went extinct about 12,000 years ago.