Waco Mammoth

https://www.nps.gov/waco/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_Mammoth_National_Monument The Waco Mammoth National Monument is a paleontological site and museum in Waco, Texas, where fossils of 24 Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi) and other mammals from the Pleistocene Epoch have been uncovered. The site is the largest known concentration of mammoths dying from a (possibly) reoccurring event, which is believed to have been a flash flood. The mammoths on site did not all die at the same time but rather during three separate events in the same area. Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation's first and only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of ice age Columbian mammoths. From I-35 North, take exit 339 and head west on Lake Shore Drive. Turn right on Steinbeck Bend Drive and travel 1.5 miles to the Monument. From I-35 South, take exit 335C and head northwest on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Continue straight onto Steinbeck Bend Drive and travel 1.5 miles to the Monument. The Monument is easily accessible via personal vehicle, bus, or motor home. Welcome Center Guided tours of the Dig Shelter begin here. Tours are conducted every 30 minutes, no reservation needed. Tours last from 45 minutes to one hour. Tour guides will lead you from the Welcome Center, down a 300 yard paved path to the Dig Shelter where mammoth fossils are in situ (still in their original position within the bone bed). From I-35 North, take exit 339 and head west on Lake Shore Drive. Turn right on Steinbeck Bend Drive and travel 1.5 miles to the Monument. From I-35 South, take exit 335C and head northwest on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Continue straight onto Steinbeck Bend Drive and travel 1.5 miles to the Monument. The Monument is easily accessible via personal vehicle, bus, or motor home. Interior of Dig Shelter Visitors view fossils from walkway Visitors view fossils from above using the elevated walkway. Waco Mammoth Executive Order President Obama signs order viewed by members of National Park Service On July 10, 2015, President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation making the Waco Mammoth Site a new unit of the National Park System. Mammoth Herd Mural Painting of Mammoth nursery herd This paleontological site represents the nation’s only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths. Entrance Sign to Waco Mammoth Entrance sign to Waco Mammoth with bluebonnets in foreground. Waco Mammoth National Monument became part of the national Park Service on July 10, 2015. Mammoth Tusks Mammoth Tusks in situ Mammoth fossils are in situ (still in their original position within the bone bed). National Park Getaway: Waco Mammoth National Monument The year was 1978. Two teenage boys were hunting for arrowheads in a creek bed on the outskirts of Waco, Texas. While they were unsuccessful with their pursuit for Native American artifacts that day, their quest would not go unrewarded. They would uncover a mystery so huge, you might even refer to it as a “mammoth-sized” find that was the only one of its kind! Two visitors standing on a platform overlooking a fossil site Bringing The Past Alive: Mammoth Behavior Seen Through Waco Mammoth National Monument and its Impact on Interpretation The mammoths of Waco Mammoth National Monument have undoubtedly changed the way people view these Ice Age creatures. Through the discovery of the first and only Columbian mammoth nursery herd, the public is provided a glimpse of what life was like for these animals through their habits and social structure. a life size Colombian mammoth painting First Paleontologist Hired at Waco Mammoth National Monument Waco Mammoth National Monument was proclaimed a unit of the National Park Service in July 2015 to protect and interpret an assemblage of mammoths believed to represent a nursery herd. The first paleontologist for the monument, Lindsey Yann, was hired in January 2020 to help promote scientific research, resource management and public education. park ranger in uniform Series: Geologic Time Periods in the Cenozoic Era The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths. fossils on display at a visitor center Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring 2020 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> two people standing outdoors near a fossil tree base Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2019 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> Tule Springs Fossil Beds Quaternary Period—2.58 MYA to Today Massive ice sheets advanced and retreated across North America during much of the Quaternary, carving landscapes in many parks. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve contains geologic evidence of lower sea level during glacial periods, facilitating the prehistoric peopling of the Americas. The youngest rocks in the NPS include the lava of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the travertine at Yellowstone National Park, which can be just a few hours old. fossil bone bed and murals of mammoths Cenozoic Era The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths. fossils on display in a visitor center Staff Spotlight: Vanessa Torres Meet Vanessa Torres, Program Manager of Interpretation, Education, and Community Engagement for Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park and Waco Mammoth National Monument. Hear her story and advice she has for youth and young adults. Vanessa Torres enjoying a break in the Texas Bluebonnets Series: Geologic Time—Major Divisions and NPS Fossils The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. The geologic time scale is divided into four large periods of time—the Cenozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Paleozoic Era, and The Precambrian. photo of desert landscape with a petrified wood log on the surface Series: Park Paleontology News - Vol. 15, No. 1, Spring 2023 All across the park system, scientists, rangers, and interpreters are engaged in the important work of studying, protecting, and sharing our rich fossil heritage. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/newsletters.htm">Park Paleontology news</a> provides a close up look at the important work of caring for these irreplaceable resources. <ul><li>Contribute to Park Paleontology News by contacting the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/common/utilities/sendmail/sendemail.cfm?o=5D8CD5B898DDBB8387BA1DBBFD02A8AE4FBD489F4FF88B9049&r=/subjects/geoscientistsinparks/photo-galleries.htm">newsletter editor</a></li><li>Learn more about <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/">Fossils & Paleontology</a> </li><li>Celebrate <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/">National Fossil Day</a> with events across the nation</li></ul> three people working in a fossil quarry Expanding Access to Learning about Paleontology through Interpretive Programming in Spanish at Waco Mammoth National Monument Leonardo Maduro-Salvarrey was recruited as an interpretation and education intern at Waco Mammoth National Monument during 2022. Leo helped to coordinate educational outreach to Spanish speaking visitors to the monument interested in learning about the fossils. two people talking over an interpretive display