Scientists have exhumed a rare and very well-preserved mammoth skull at the Channel Islands National Park in Southern California.

According to paleontologist Justin Wilkins of The Mammoth Site, who was part of the team that unearthed this fossil, the skull was discovered in a stream bank that was in a state of erosion.

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Wilkins described the ancient skull to be very spectacular in appearance. He said it is one of the best mammoth skulls that he has ever seen, even after admittedly seeing so many good ones.

The mammoth skull was first discovered by park biologist Peter Larramendy in 2014, who came across an ivory tusk jutting out from the canyon wall.

Using charcoal samples to date the find, geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey estimate that the mammoth skull fossil is around 13,000 years old; from the late Pleistocene period.

The find suggests that ancient beasts existed along with the Arlington Man in the Santa Rosa Island.

Wilkins said that this particular mammoth does not belong to any species such as the pygmy or its relatives from the mainland.

It is still unclear what species this mammoth is. Researchers speculate that it may be closely related to the pygmy mammoth, measuring six feet high, but not big enough to be a Columbian mammoth which can reach up to 14 feet. Scientists have suggested that this mammoth species may be a previously unknown one, transitioning from a pygmy to a Columbian mammoth.

The team is hoping that the fossilized teeth of the mammoth can reveal an accurate picture of the animal's age before it died.

The fossil will be transported to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History where scientists will further study it, before preserving the remains and displaying it to the public.