WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Long before Wakulla Springs became the site of a state park it appears the area drew a different kind of visitor.
For the past 3 weeks, divers from the Aucilla Research Institute have been searching the waters at Wakulla Springs State Park.
The search is an effort to research the ancient "Mastodon" a relative of the modern elephant and see if the animal had ties to other areas of the park.
"We are just trying to see by chance, what was going on land with what was going on with what is now underwater," said James Dunbar, a researcher at Aucilla.
James Dunbar and his team received a more than 300,000 dollar grant from the Division of Historical Resources to survey the park. A hunt one of the divers says is a unique and fun experience.
"So few people get to dive in Wakulla so we get to see something that is as close to a pristine nature as anything going in Florida these days," said diver, Andy Hemming.
Dunbar said the group is not sure if they will be able to date how old these Mastodons are but will know around May.
According to Hemming one of the most important things found at the site is a leaf, because leaves can be dated easier than most things found.
