This giant Columbian mammoth skeleton greeted us as we entered the Mammoth Site. This place is phenomenol. The site is currently being excavated and the dig is enclosed in the building. So far, 57 mammoth skeletons, both wooly and Columbian, have been excavated here. It's believed that a sinkhole formed when a cave collapsed. An artesian spring then filled itin with warm water and grass grew along the edges even in winter. Mammoths and other mammals would go in to the warm water to eat and drink and then couldn't get back out because the edges were too slick. Eventually, the artesian well was diverted to feed something else and the bones in the sinkhole became covered with silt and sediment. They are *not*, however, petrified and so are very fragile.
Matt demonstrates how strong he is by holding up a mammoth femur. Or so he'd like you to think. This is actually a light-weight cast. The actual femur is much, much heavier.
This skeleton is entirely intact except for the head. It was originally named "Marie Antoinette" but they had to rename it Murray after it was determiend to be male. From this angle you can see his leg and feet bones, ribs, and vertebrae.
Prehistoric man, which evidence shows hunted mammoth, used to construct houses out of mammoth bones and skin. Matt checked out the recreation at the site, made from using fossil casts.
Oh, oh! Looks like Matt pushed Rob too far and is about to get pay back! As you might expect, I took *lots* of pictures, which are up at http://picasaweb.google.com/debdistante/TheMammothSite. Enjoy!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment