Waco Mammoth National Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Waco Mammoth National Monument |
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Columbian mammoth bull and juvenile remains at the Waco Mammoth National Monument
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 Waco Mammoth National Monument
Location in Texas
Waco Mammoth National Monument
Location in the United States
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| Location | Waco, Texas |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Created | July 10, 2015 |
| Visitors | 69,510 (in 2016) |
| Governing body | National Park Service, City of Waco, Baylor University |
| Website | Waco Mammoth National Monument |
The Waco Mammoth National Monument is a special place in Waco, Texas, United States. It's a museum and a paleontology site. Here, scientists have found fossils of 24 Columbian mammoths. These huge animals lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, a long time ago.
This site has the most mammoths found in one place that died from the same kind of event. Scientists think they were caught in sudden, powerful flash floods. The mammoths didn't all die at once. Instead, they died during three separate events in the same area.
A local team worked together to protect this site after the first bone was found. The Waco Mammoth Foundation, the City of Waco, and Baylor University helped develop the area. Baylor University helped with research, keeping the fossils safe, and storing them. The City of Waco helped protect the land.
In 2015, they worked to make it a National Monument. This brought in the National Park Service to help manage the site.
Contents
History of the Mammoths
What Were Columbian Mammoths Like?
Columbian mammoths lived a very long time ago. They were around between 10,000 and 1 million years ago. These giant animals traveled all over North America, even as far south as Nicaragua.
Columbian mammoths were herbivores, meaning they ate plants. Their diet included many different plants, from grasses to conifer trees. Back then, the land in Central Texas had warm grasslands and savannahs. These open areas were surrounded by floodplains near rivers.
How the Mammoths Died
We don't know exactly how the animals at the site died. There is no sign that humans were involved. The main idea is that about 68,000 years ago, a group of at least 19 mammoths got stuck. They were part of a "nursery herd," meaning it was a group of mothers and young mammoths.
They were trapped in a steep, narrow channel during a flash flood. They either drowned or were buried by mud. A camel also died during this event. Later floods covered their remains even more.
A second event happened sometime later. During this time, a young saber-toothed cat (called Smilodon) and another animal died and were buried.
The third event killed a large male mammoth, two young mammoths, and an adult female. This happened about 15,000 years after the first group died. These animals also seem to have been victims of rising water. They couldn't escape because the slopes around them were too slippery.
How We Know Their Age
Scientists used a method called Luminescence dating to figure out how old the fossils are. Specifically, they used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). This method uses light to make tiny particles in the soil glow.
By measuring this glow, scientists can tell when the soil was last exposed to sunlight. Since the soil and the mammoths were buried at the same time, this tells us when the mammoths died.
Discovery of the Site
The Waco Mammoth site was found in 1978 by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin. They were looking for arrowheads and fossils near the Bosque River. The men found a very large bone and took it to the Strecker Museum at Baylor University.
Once the bone was identified as a Columbian mammoth bone, the museum staff started a proper dig. Between 1978 and 1990, a lot of work was done. The first 16 mammoths found were carefully protected. They were stored at the Strecker Museum, which is now the Mayborn Museum Complex.
Other remains were dug up between 1990 and 1997. These include a large male mammoth, a female, two young mammoths, and a camel (Camelops hesternus). These fossils are still in their original spots at the site, which is called "in situ".
Even though the first bones were found in 1978, the site didn't open to the public until late 2009. That year, a special shelter was built to protect the bones. This shelter also allows visitors to see the site. The site is now managed by the City of Waco, Baylor University, and the National Park Service. It is part of a large, wooded park along the Bosque River.
Becoming a National Monument
In 2010, Representative Chet Edwards tried to make the site a National Monument. This would make it part of the National Park Service. The bill passed in the House of Representatives but did not pass in the Senate.
In 2012, Representative Bill Flores tried again with a similar bill. It also passed the House but not the Senate.
Finally, on July 10, 2015, President Barack Obama used his special power under the Antiquities Act. He officially named the site the Waco Mammoth National Monument. It is now managed by the National Park Service, working with the City of Waco and Baylor University.
President Obama signed the order in the Oval Office. He was surrounded by people from the National Park Service, the United States Forest Service, and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. The city gave the 5-acre dig site to the federal government. However, the city still owns 100 acres around it for future park plans.
What You Can See and Do
Geography of the Monument
The Waco Mammoth National Monument is located in Waco, Texas. The monument is right along the Bosque River. It is surrounded by over 100 acres of wooded parkland.
Scientists believe that because the site is so close to the river, the prehistoric animals died in flash floods. These floods drowned the creatures about 67,000 years ago. Over time, soil erosion buried the mammoths and other animals deep in the earth.
Main Attractions
The Waco Mammoth National Monument is special because it has the only known remains of a herd of Columbian Mammoths. You can also see "in situ" fossils of a camel, a large male mammoth, and female mammoths. "In situ" means the fossils are still in the exact spot where they were first found.
This monument is one of the largest sites in the world where a single herd of animals died together, not from hunting.
Get Involved as a Young Explorer
The National Monument offers fun ways for young people to participate. The Waco Mammoth National Monument welcomes school field trips and group tours. You can also become a "Junior Ranger."
By completing activities around the park, visitors can be sworn in as a Waco Mammoth National Monument Junior Ranger. It's a great way to learn and explore!
