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Students are currently working on processing the sub-fossilized skeletal remains of a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) found on an artichoke farm, and excavated by a team of volunteer archaeologists and anthropology students in Castroville, CA, near Monterey. It is believed that the individual is a young adult male, with adult Columbian mammoths standing at around 14 feet tall! Several other prehistoric animals were found in the excavation unit alongside the mammoth, including a camel and a mastodon (another large mammal related to the mammoth and the elephant). These finds were significant because strands of red hair were found with the mammoth bones, possibly allowing for future genetic testing, and that so many animals from prehistoric North America were found together in one site. A partial rib and tusk, reconstructed by the Foothill Osteology Club, is now on display at the Center for Applied Anthropology, in addition to information concerning the findings.
The student-driven project involves sorting through the boxes of mammoth bone fragments, ivory tusk fragments, and soil samples at Foothill College, cleaning the bones to remove all dirt and other particles, and cataloging each item for future analysis and display. This project is very exciting and unique, as the mammoth is estimated to be around 20,000 years old, and provides an excellent opportunity for students to practice cleaning prehistoric faunal bones and learn to correctly process and catalog these remains.
If this is something that interests you, or if you’d like to learn more about the Castroville Mammoth, please stop by the CAA and speak to one of our student volunteers or staff!
If this is something that interests you, or if you’d like to learn more about the Castroville Mammoth, please stop by the CAA and speak to one of our student volunteers or staff!
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