California crews uncover possible 45-million-year-old ‘thunder beast’ fossils

A routine infrastructure project in Oceanside, California, has led to an unexpected discovery from deep beneath the ground: fossilised bones that may have belonged to a huge hoofed mammal that lived as long as 45 million years ago. According to the City of Oceanside, which announced the discovery, crews uncovered several limb bones, ribs and other fragments about 12 feet below the surface. Paleontologists believe the remains could belong to a prehistoric animal known as a “thunder beast”; another possibility is a creature known as a “swamp rhino”. Researchers are now studying the fossils to determine the animal's exact identity.Fossils emerge during routine constructionThe discovery was made recently while crews were carrying out excavation for a city infrastructure project in Oceanside, about 40 miles north of San Diego. Workers digging roughly 12 feet below the surface came across several fossilised bones embedded in hardened sedimentary rock.