Sunday, January 24, the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg opened a new display, “Tusks! Ice Age Mammoths and Mastodons.”

Tusks! Ice Age Mammoths and Mastodons,”an exhibit that tells the story of mammoths and mastodons, extinct relatives of modern elephants who roamed much of North America until the end of the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago.State Rep. John Siptroth reminds residents that a mastodon skeleton that was excavated in Marshall's Creek will be the centerpiece of an exhibit.

The mastodon died about 12,000 years ago in a marshy area, according to museum officials. The site of the discovery was Leap’s Bog on the border of Smithfield and Middle Smithfield townships across Route 209 from the Pocono Bazaar. The bones, which are not fossilized, were excavated in 1968. It is the most complete skeleton of its kind discovered in Pennsylvania.
 
"It is quite an amazing sight," said Siptroth, D-Monroe/Pike. "The Marshall’s Creek Mammoth is the star of this fascinating exhibition and I encourage everyone to visit the State Museum to view the display."
 
Siptroth said Pennsylvania residents even have a chance to support the exhibit through the Buy-A-Bone Campaign. Interested people can go to the museum's Web site, www.statemuseumpa.org, to learn more.
 
When the exhibit is done, the mastodon will remain at the museum. The museum charges an admission fee of $3 for people 13 and older and $2 for children under 13.