Archaeologists have found a mammoth skull and two tusk fragments in a sand pit in northeastern Oklahoma, according to media reports. The Oklahoma Archeological Survey (OAS) identified the animal as a Columbian mammoth, one of the last species of the giant mammal to range across North and Central America during the Pleistocene era.

The Columbian mammoth — native from the United States to Costa Rica — could measure 13 feet at the shoulder, weigh 8 to 10 tons and have a life span of 80 years. Mammoths became extinct some 11,000 years ago. 

"The exact age of the deposit has not yet been determined," the OAS stated in a post on its Facebook page. Archaeologists examined the remains on site after receiving images of part of a skull being dug out of the sand near Alva, 150 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The The skull and tusk fragments were sent on to Oklahoma State University for further study.