This human jaw was fossilized in travertine hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of years ago. The stone was sliced for tiles, and this lateral cross section of the jaw ended up in a floor tile.

"A human mandible, simply, a jawbone," said James Fulcher, Volusia County chief medical examiner. "It was found by a passerby on the beach in New Smyrna Beach.

If it’s not a human jaw, it’s possible that it belonged to a close ancestor, such as a chimpanzee. “Though modern chimpanzees do not have this mandible arch shape or tooth type in this ...

Based on photos of the remains, Ayers-Rigsby said she does believe the jaw bone belongs to a human. Many of Florida's archaeological sites are on beaches, she said, and she urged people to refrain ...