If you manage to find mammoth bones in a New York river, that’s where you fill yourself with silver…

Ask people what they might find buried in the mud at the bottom of New York City’s East River and they’ll probably say “a mob boss” before thinking of mammoth bones. But several groups of treasure hunters have taken to the canal in recent weeks after hearing a guest on comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast claim that potentially highly valuable prehistoric mammoth bones were dumped in the river in the 1940s. Despite a lack of evidence to back up the story, treasure hunters using boats, scuba gear and technology like remote-operated cameras went looking, hoping the murky waters might hide woolly mammoth tusks. It all started when John Reeves, an Alaskan gold miner with a passion for fossils, came to “The Joe Rogan Experience” to talk about his land, where he personally discovered numerous ancient bones and tusks. In the first half of the 20th century, under the previous owners, digging for gold unearthed a trove of prehistoric mammal remains. Some of that material was brought to New York decades ago to be given to the American Museum of Natural History. But Reeves cited a report that some fossils and bones deemed unsuitable for the museum were dumped in the river. And now everyone is looking for the valuable treasure… Will they find it?