 It isn't uncommon to find animal bones in the woods. One might go out and find shed deer antlers or the skull of a small animal such as a squirrel or raccoon. But one Putnam County, West Virginia man made the discovery of a lifetime when, out on a hunting trip, he found the skull of a prehistoric creature. Sunday morning rolled around and we got ready, went out that morning before daylight. We started down the main hollow of that area. And as we're walking down through there, that's when we really started to notice all of the debris that was scattered from the flash flooding. I noticed what I thought was a root ball that had been washed out with the flooding. I could see it from about 40 yards away. Didn't really think much of it, but it definitely had my attention because it was right in the walking path that was laying with the jaw facing up. And I was able to notice the teeth that were in it and it caught my attention. After wheeling out any possibility of the skull being a horse, cow, pig, or deer, Atkins looked to the West Virginia State Geological Survey for answers as to the identity of the skull. Who can we get ahold of to actually confirm this for us? And because I felt like we sounded crazy. And I mean, I've got a center holding a sloth head from the Ice Age. There's just no way it's possible. I'm having coffee with my wife and she happened to look up the West Virginia Geological Survey and Morgan immediately give me the number. We are Pikeville Medical Center and we are an amazing place to work. Healthcare heroes of all types work here. All who deserve great rewards. So while our heroes are working hard to take care of our patients and visitors, we are taking care of them with top tier benefits, higher pay rates, and great sign on bonuses. So join our team today. So what are you waiting for? Apply today. Incredible opportunities await at pmcjobs.org. The skull was confirmed to be that of a giant ground sloth, megalonics Jeffersoni. This species is believed to have roamed North America anywhere from 11,000 to 5 million years ago. Atkins is still currently in possession of the skull, but many have made offers to take it off his hands. We've had museums reach out to us from several places here within the state of West Virginia to some more well-known museums such as Carnegie, but we do still have it in a safe location. So we're wanting to work with the researchers to try to get as much information as we can about this thing and have the opportunity to be a part of the process. As an experienced woodsman, Atkins says this is the biggest discovery he's ever made. There is a Facebook group dedicated to learning more about the skull and other prehistoric species that may have lived in the area. For more information, you can visit prehistoric giant ground sloth skull West Virginia find on Facebook. For mountaintop news, I'm Kelsey Dean.