The unearthing of a mystery animal mummy on an eastern Alberta farm has sparked the interest of one of the province's top museums.

Garry Nelson said he was digging foundation holes for an equipment repair shop Sunday on his property near Craigmyle, 130 km northeast of Calgary, when something unexpected emerged from about nine metres down.

His golden retriever, Arthur "was sniffing around a pile of dirt and he dragged something out."

What the canine discovered still isn't quite clear, but it's a mummified head, hooved leg and top torso of an animal newborn or fetus.

He noted officials with the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton have expressed interest in the find.

"It's because they never find flesh -- you can still see the outlay of its nose and actually see whiskers," said Nelson, 55.

"It's incredible, it truly is."

The artifact is brownish-red and about 20 cm long.

The dense, clay-like nature of the earth the critter was buried in is likely the cause of its preservation, he added.

Nelson wrapped the remains in tinfoil and two baggies and placed them in a freezer, awaiting the arrival of Peter Milot, the Royal Alberta Museum's assistant curator of paleontology.

It's the first time members of the museum have made a farm call on what appears to be a mummified item, said Milot.

"We don't know what we have -- we're going to have to look at it," said Milot, who's viewed photos of the animal.

"It does have the potential to be important."

Nelson's find could be the remains of a bovine, or cow.

It could also be from a wilder animal, such as an antelope, deer or buffalo of post-ice age vintage -- less than 9,000 years old -- said Milot.

He's hoping to visit the Craigmyle-area farm today to better gauge the discovery.

"We want to look at the geology and see if we can locate the other part of the animal," he said.

"The first test we'd run on it is carbon-dating."

Nelson said he can't wait for the mystery to be solved.