LAKE WORTH, Fla. (AP) -- Archaeologists digging in the Lake Worth area have stumbled upon a rare artifact, the tooth of a long-extinct seal, one whose existence was first recorded by Christopher Columbus.
The Miami Herald reports discovery of the Caribbean monk seal tooth at the prehistoric site along the Lake Worth shore is part of a larger study of changes to the lake over time by the Davie-based Archaeological and Historical Conservancy.
Discovery of the tooth is the first evidence of the seal found in the area. Its presence is an indicator that the seal was hunted by prehistoric people.
The United States' last recorded sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1922. Outside the United States, the creature was seen between Jamaica and the Yucatan peninsula as recently as 1956.
