Waco Mammoth

Waco Mammoth Waco Mammoth National Monument Texas National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior You can almost hear them, and sense the rain coming, says Ellie Caston, who helped preserve this mammoth site in Waco, Texas. She is imagining the first group of Columbian mammoths found here as they were 65,000 years ago, as adult females surrounding their young. Like today’s elephants, the adults encircled the young to protect them. But on that long-ago day, they all died. Since the bones were discovered, scientists have been studying them and the surrounding area to find out what killed the animals. Maybe it was a flash flood from a storm, as Caston was thinking. Or perhaps it was a drought. These bones and their hidden stories led to establishing Waco Mammoth National Monument in 2015—a place where science and wonder come alive. Timeline TOP AND LEFT—© KAREN CARR About 1.7 million years ago, mammoths cross an ice bridge from Asia to North America. Two species develop in North America—the woolly mammoth and the Columbian mammoth. 65,000 years ago Exact time unknown 51,000 years ago A nursery herd of Columbian mammoths dies in a ravine here. Layers of mud quickly cover their bones. Their fossils are discovered in 1978—the first mammoth nursery herd found in North America. Other animals die in the same area as the nursery herd. A saber-toothed cub is known only by its tooth. The others are unidentified, known only by a few bones. At least three mammoths die in the same area as the nursery herd. One is the only adult male Columbian mammoth that has been found as of 2018. Columbian mammoths were still roaming this area when humans arrived around 11,000 years ago. Mammoths died out around 10,000 years ago. We were on to a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Paul Barron Paul Barron recalls how he and Eddie Bufkin felt in 1978 when they found a big fossil while exploring this area. They took it to Baylor University, where scientists recognized it as a leg bone of a Columbian mammoth. The scientists organized an excavation, but kept the details secret to protect the site from poachers. They also protected the fossils by encasing them in plaster jackets (left). They lifted the jackets out of the pit and trucked them to BONES LEFT IN PLACE At Waco, many mammoth bones remain in situ—in their original positions (background image, left). Some, like skulls and tusks, are easy to identify. All of them hold clues to life and death in the past. ABOVE—© DOMINICK CIRINCIONE; BACKGROUND—CITY OF WACO • WHERE THEY LIVED Mammoths lived when a continental ice sheet covered much of North America, 95,000 to 10,000 years ago. (The greatest extent is shown below.) The Waco area climate, though, was warm all year. Columbian mammoths ranged south through Central America and north into colder areas—but not as far north as the smaller and hairier woolly mammoths. Male Tusks 10–16 feet long up to 200 pounds each Columbian Mammoth Mammuthus columbi A Columbian mammoth was born with tusks and a trunk, just like a modern elephant. It used these tools to gather food, dig for water, and defend itself and others in the herd. Its teeth (below) were wide and flat, about the size of a Columbian mammoth shoebox. They could grind tough plants into digestible wads. Its wide, flat feet were cushioned by internal sponge-like pads. Such feet enabled an adult mammoth to walk for miles and miles like today’s elephants. 14 feet Foot 10 feet Z Weight ©B 20,000 pounds (10 tons) • MAMMOTHS—NPS PEOPLE—FREEPIK L AY Tooth ©A • DA M R Food 300–700 pounds per day SO N ER EV AN M R A OR 4 in a set 6 sets in a lifetime S AN OW IC Y IVE RSI T UN • O • Woolly mammoth Internal sponge-like pads cushion the foot safekeeping in Baylor’s museum storage. Those bones are still there in their plaster jackets. One day, scientists will have the time to study them and see what other stories they might tell. ©B • BA AR Water 50 gallons per day IDI © HE • D AN Dung 400 pounds per day Texas During the Ice Ages Columbian mammoths lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, a time also called the ice ages. The climate here was warm 65,000 years ago, not cold and icy. Mammoths roamed a vast area of grasslands and woodlands, along with other mammals like the camels, dire wolves, and saber-toothed cats shown above. ILLUSTRATION ABOVE—© KAREN CARR Fossils and other evidence at Waco show that a new glacial period was beginning around 50,000 years ago— the last great icy time before modern times. Grasses were still abundant, but cooler-weather plants became part of the mammoths’ diet too. It is rare to have so much evidence of a changing climate in one place. This is another reason why Waco Mammoth National Monument was established. Fossils of Waco • Mammoth, possibly a rib broken and healing • • Mammoth rib 34 inches long Mammoth skull and tusk Mammoth upper foreleg bone 25 inches long • • • Mammoth neck bone 16 inches wide MAMMOTH STORIES These and other mammoth bones have been studied for years by scientists. Some show breaks, healed and unhealed, or provide clues to age and size. A camel skeleton was found with the mammoth bones. • Volunteers wrapped fossils in plaster before removing them from the ground. This jacket weighs about 75 pounds. Camel lower leg bone 14.5 inches long Partial skull on top of a backbone Mammoth skull and tusk Mammoth pelvis Saber-toothed cub tooth 3 inches Mammoth foot bone 11 inches wide This might be a clue that predators were nearby. The dire wolf and saber-toothed cat often hunted camels but not bigger animals like mammoths. CHANGING STORIES A few years ago, a geologist used a new technique to study the soil here. He learned the bones were twice as old as earlier estimates. Other geologists have found evidence for another idea about what killed the mammoths. Instead of a flood, it might have been a long drought. Leg bones AWAITING DISCOVERY What other ideas might emerge as scientists develop new tools for their work at this site? What new details will we learn about life during a time of great climate change? That is the excitement of science happening right here among the bones of long ago. Volunteer Ralph Vinson drew this map with pencil on corrugated cardboard to show the nursery herd bones before they were removed. He drew each bone precisely where it lay by following a grid put in the ground before the dig began. Vinson also made the plaster jacket shown above. ALL IMAGES—BAYLOR UNIVERSITY UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED Visiting the Mammoths of Waco Welcome! Everything you see here is thanks to the people of Waco, Texas, who worked over 35 years to protect this site. Now the National Park Service, the City of Waco, Baylor University, and the Waco Mammoth Foundation work in partnership to conduct research, run the welcome center, and offer tours and programs. The park is located west of Interstate 35 and the Brazos River and north of the Bosque River. The Welcome Center is located off of Steinbeck Bend Drive and has restrooms and parking. The park entrance is located off Steinbeck Bend Drive, which runs into Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard northwest of downtown Waco. Dig Shelter Viewing fossils still in the ground Eagle Trail runs southwest of the Welcome Center and connects with Deer Loop. Mammoth Trail runs from the Welcome Center southeast to a picnic area, Deer Loop, amphitheater, and a covered dig shelter, then back to the road. The trail has a wheelchair-accessible walkway. The dig shelter is also accessible from the park road. Cameron Park and Cameron Park Zoo are located southeast of the park. Related Sites in Waco DIG SHELTER—© CITY OF WACO; FOSSIL VIEWING—© RITA HOGAN Waco Mammoth National Monument is open daily, 9 am–5 pm, except Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. Fees Tour fees are not covered by National Park passes. Call or check the park website for current fees. Children 3 or younger are free. Start at the welcome center to sign up for a Dig Shelter tour, which is the only way to see the mammoth bones. A small fee is charged. Weather In summer, bring plenty of water, wear a hat and sunscreen, bring insect repellent. In winter, be prepared for rain. Other Things to Do • Look for outdoor exhibits. • Observe birds and butterflies. • Take a walk. • Enjoy a picnic. • Try excavating a “fossil.” • Come to special events. Pets Leashed pets are allowed on the grounds, but not on the tour. Do not leave pets in vehicles or tied up. Come back often to enjoy new programs, trails, and opportunities as this new national monument develops. Accessibility We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For more information, call or check the park website. Firearms For firearms regulations check the park website. More Information Waco Mammoth National Monument 6220 Steinbeck Bend Dr. Waco, TX 76708 254-750-7946 www.nps.gov/waco Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex Find out more about natural and cultural history of central Texas. See mammoth bones up close in a replica of the park’s excavation site. Fee. Call 254-710-1110 or go to www.baylor.edu/mayborn. Emergencies call 911 Follow us on social media. Waco Mammoth is one of over 400 parks in the National npf_black.pdf 1 8/26/22 Park System. Learn more at www.nps.gov. Join the park community. www.nationalparks.org IGPO:2018—403-332/82219 New in 2018 12:33 PM Cameron Park, City of Waco Enjoy miles of trails and views across the Brazos and Bosque rivers. Visit the zoo to see the mammoth’s modern relatives— elephants. The city park is free, but the zoo has a fee. For details about the city park, call 254-7505980 or go to www.waco-texas. com/cms-parksandrecreation. For the zoo, call 254-750-8400 or go to www.cameronparkzoo.com. Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum Complex is located on University Parks Drive, southeast of the park.