CULVER — A Marshall County man uncovered a giant piece of history from the ice age in his back yard.

John Benedict and a friend were digging out a pond last month near Culver when they came across what turned out to be 12,000-year-old skeletal remains of a Mastodon.

State scientists and historians are digging out the rest of the remains to eventually put on display at the Indiana State Museum. Benedict talked with relatives and decided to donate the remains to the state.

Since the dig team began, they've found remains of a second Mastodon and perhaps even a third.

"We know there’s a mix of two animals here. We still have to go out into the middle (of the pond) to deal with that. There may be a separate animal out there … this is a great ice age site,” said Ron Richards, Chief Curator of Natural History at the Indiana State Museum.

“You go back all those years and these animals were walking around, it’s just humbling. It humbles you a bunch,” said Benedict.

Mastodon remains were found in another part of Marshall County in 2006.

Scientists say the large mammals could weigh about three tons, stand more than nine feet tall, and were fairly common in Northern Indiana during the ice age.