Mammuthus Columbi Research Articles

THE ELEPHANTS OF ZOBA GASH BARKA, ERITREA: PART 4. CHOLELITHIASIS IN A WILD AFRICAN ELEPHANT (LOXODONTA AFRICANA)

A 4.0-kg cholelith was found within the abdominal cavity of a dead wild African elephant (Loxodonta africana) in Eritrea. Analysis of this cholelith by histochemistry, electron microscopy, electrospray mass spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy revealed it was composed of bile alcohols but no calcium, bilirubin, or cholesterol. Bacteria were also found in the cholelith. Similar, but smaller, bile stones have been identified previously in other wild African elephants and an excavated mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). Choleliths have been reported only once in a captive Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Elephants, along with hyraxes (Procavia capensis) and manatees (Trichechus manatus), are unique among mammals in producing only bile alcohols and no bile acids, which may predispose them to cholelithiasis, particularly in association with bacterial infection. Dietary factors may also play an important role in cholelith formation.

Dental variation in the molars of Mammuthus columbi var. M. imperator (Proboscidea, Elephantidae) from a Mathis gravel quarry, southern Texas

A large sample ( N = 149 ) of Mammuthus columbi molars was excavated from a gravel quarry of Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA) near Mathis, San Patricio County in southern Texas. This attritional assemblage, which also includes Xenarthra, Equidae, Camelidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae, was recovered from fluvial point-bar deposits. Standard mammoth dental measurements and metrics (enamel thickness, plate width, plate number, and lamellar frequency) from a minimum of 25 individuals vary widely. The number of plates in the tooth (PN) is the most reliable measurement in the identification of the molar to the species level. Enamel thickness and lamellar frequency suggest that the Mathis sample represents a local population of Mammuthus columbi that approaches molar morphologies found in Irvingtonian NALMA populations usually placed in M. imperator.

Should we expect large game specialization in the late Pleistocene? An optimal foraging perspective on early Paleoindian prey choice

Several recent studies employ foraging theory to model early Paleoindians as big game specialists who focused on hunting large bodied, high-return animals such as mammoths. In this paper, we evaluate the specialist model by identifying the range of handling times and encounter rates within which mammoth ( Mammuthus columbi) specialization would occur. We continue by using allometric relationships between body size and population density in mammals to estimate encounter rates for mammoth and other North American species. Combining these two pieces of information allows for the construction of an optimal diet curve representative of late Pleistocene prey choice, given the inclusion of mammoth. Our results seriously question the model of early Paleoindians as megafaunal specialists and suggest that foragers should have pursued a wide array of taxa including not only mammoth, but the full range of ungulates and some smaller game as well. These results accord well with empirical data on prey choice from late Pleistocene archaeological contexts from across North America.

Taphonomy of two last glacial maximum mammoth sites in the central Great Plains of North America: A preliminary report on La Sena and Lovewell

Two mammoth sites from the central Great Plains of North America, each containing one adult Columbian mammoth ( Mammuthus columbi), were excavated from Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) loess and fine-grained alluvial deposits, respectively. Taphonomic data from both sites indicate that the mammoth skeletons exhibit numerous spirally fractured limb elements. Dynamic loading points are present on midshafts of large limb bones. Bone flakes produced from the partial thickness of thick cortical bone are also present. Hypotheses of carnivore activity, mammoth trampling, and human-induced fracturing are evaluated as possible causes of the fractured limb bone. Testing the hypotheses using modern data from actualistic taphonomic studies of elephant skeletons, paleontological data from two proboscidean natural death sites, experimental data from elephant bone fracturing, and archaeologically derived data concerning late Pleistocene human modification of mammoth limb bone indicates that the first two hypotheses can be rejected, while the third hypothesis is supported.

Stratigraphic and geochronologic contexts of mammoth ( Mammuthus) and other Pleistocene fauna, Upper Missouri Basin (northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains), U.S.A.

Mammoth fossils and other Pleistocene vertebrates from the Upper Missouri Basin, in the northern Plains and Rocky Mountains of the western interior of North America, have been dated to the late Pleistocene and are associated with Wisconsinan deposits. Mammoth remains have also been found in older stratigraphic contexts. For example, Mammuthus columbi and other fossils from the Doeden Locality are in pre-Wisconsinan terrace gravels along the Yellowstone River; the deposits are likely Illinoian or Sangamonian. Faunas that appear to be associated with the Wisconsinan interstadial, before the Last Glacial Maximum, are found in intermountain valleys and mountain settings (the Merrell Locality, Blacktail Cave, Natural Trap Cave) and on the Plains in both glaciated and unglaciated regions (Box Creek, Wibaux gravel pit). Localities containing faunas dated to the time interval from about the Last Glacial Maximum to the end of the Younger Dryas chronozone (late Wisconsinan) include the youngest fossil-bearing strata at Merrell, Blacktail Cave, Natural Trap Cave; deposits at Sheep Rock Spring, Indian Creek, MacHaffie, False Cougar Cave, Shield Trap Cave; and mammoths found at Sun River, Glendive, Colby, and the Deer Creek drainage.

New radiocarbon dates for Columbian mammoth and Mexican horse from southern Alberta and the Lateglacial regional fauna

New radiocarbon dates on Columbian mammoth ( Mammuthus columbi) and Mexican horse ( Equus conversidens) specimens from southern Alberta are 10,930±100 BP and 10,870±45 years BP, respectively—older than originally thought. These specimens are reviewed in the light of 10 other sites in southern Alberta that have yielded large mammal remains radiocarbon dated to about 11,000 BP. Thus, the regional fauna includes at least 11 mammalian species. This fauna was not restricted to the foothills, but extended well onto the plains and may prove useful in correlating foothills terraces with those of the plains.

Valsequillo Biostratigraphy IV: Proboscidean Ecospecies in Paleoindian Sites

Five proboscidean species have been found in Paleoindian sites from North to South America: two open-country adaptations, Mammuthus columbi and Cuvieronius tarijensis, two woodland and riparian forms, Mammut americanum and Mammuthus jeffersonii, and one tropical savanna species, Haplomastodon chimborazi. Their value in biostratigraphy and as ecological index fossils is discussed with particular emphasis on the Central Mexican Paleoindian sites.

Mammoth bones embedded in a late Pleistocene lahar from Popocatépetl volcano, near Tocuila, central México

The accidental discovery in July 1996 of the Tocuila mammoth site in the eastern Valley of Mexico was followed by intensive scientific excavation, which yielded remains of at least seven individuals of Mammuthus columbi in an area measuring only 28 m 2 . The high density of mostly disarticulated mammoth bones identified 3 m below the surface in a massive, 130-cm-thick lahar deposit of sandy ash and rounded pumice fragments is unusual and suggests a high-energy depositional environment. Samples of charcoal found within this deposit yielded radiocarbon ages ranging between 10 220 ± 75 and 12 615 ± 95 yr B.P. The lahar was studied in greater detail in order to establish its provenance. Determination of grain-size distribution and magnetic properties of the deposit, as well as petrographical, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses of pumice clasts, all indicate that the lahar was derived from volcanic fallout deposits that originated at Popocatepetl volcano, located 50 km south-southeast of the site. Popocatepetl underwent a major phreato-Plinian eruption, dated ca. 14 000 yr B.P., at the end of the last major glaciation. Dispersal of the fallout was mostly toward the northwest and north; deposits were found on the slopes of Tlaloc mountain (4150 m), 20 km southeast of Tocuila. At the beginning of deglaciation and the onset of more humid conditions ∼3000 yr later, lahars derived from the fallout deposits picked up the bones of already dead animals and then deposited them on the shores of Lake Texcoco and/or simply covered bones without major displacement.

Abstract: New Pygmy Mammoth (Mammuthus exilis) Localities and Radiocarbon Dates from San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands, California

Abstract The 1994 discovery and excavation, on Santa Rosa Island, of the most complete pygmy mammoth (Mammuthus exilis) skeleton yet recovered prompted additional research of the California Channel Islands. An intensive, pedestrian survey of mammoth localities tied to GPS coordinates was initiated for the first time in the history of the island mammoth research and has resulted in the discovery and documentation of more than 100 new localities. Several mainland-size mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) elements were recovered. These may represent: 1) ancestral animals; 2) contemporary animals; or 3) late migrant animals. Dental and osteological metric analyses in progress will allow comparisons and contrasts to mainland M. columbi populations. Six new radiocarbon dates from San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands have been added to the eleven published dates for mammoth and mammoth-associated material. These new dates include an AMS bone collagen date of 12,840 ± 410 yr B.P. (CAMS 24429) derived from the right femur of the 1994 skeleton.

Can Mammoths Go to School? No, But Schools can Go to the Mammoth Site!

The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota, Inc. is the largest accumulation of Columbian Mammoths discovered in their primary context in the world. The site was found in 1974, during excavation for a housing project. Over one million visitors from all over the world have come to see the bone remains of 48 Columbian and 3 Woolly mammoths, plus 25 species of other animals that lived together 26,000 years ago.

The Columbian mammoth, Mammuthus columbi, from the Wasatch Mountains of central Utah

A nearly complete and well-preserved skeleton of the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) and a cranial fragment of a short-faced bear (Arctodus simus) were recovered from fossil lake deposits at 2,740 m, near the crest of the Wasatch Plateau, central Utah. The mammoth bones are reliably dated to between 11,500 and 9,500 yr B.P. and may be associated with a late Paleoindian occupation at the site. The mammoth and bear are part of a high elevation Huntington Canyon megafauna including mastodon (Mammut americanum), horse (Equus sp.), and bison (Bison sp.). The mammoth was an old bull with considerable pathology in the vertebral column, ribs, and legs. Pollen, plant macrofossils, insects, and dung associated with the mammoth suggest this megafauna occupied an essentially modern environmental setting after deglaciation of the Wasatch plateau.

Studies of Collagen in Bone and Dentin Matrix of a Columbian Mammoth (Late Pleistocene) of Central Utah

A Columbian mammoth, Mammuthus columbi, was excavated at an elevation of 9000 feet in Huntington Canyon, Emery County, Utah. Radiocarbon dates on the skeleton indicated death approximately 11,200 years ago. The skeleton was removed from postglacial, Late Quaternary, lake sediments deposited as glacial runoff approximately 9500 years ago. The bones and teeth were especially well preserved in a saturated lake bed. After excavation the bones and teeth were preserved by controlled desiccation, without hardeners, over a period of 9 months. Microradiography, light and electron microscopy, medium and high angle X-ray diffraction, amino acid analysis and cyanogen bromide peptide mapping were undertaken to evaluate the packing, organization, and preservation of collagen in bone and dentin of this mammoth. Microradiography and light microscopy showed that the bone consisted of especially well preserved compact and trabecular bone, and electron microscopy of demineralized bone and tusk showed that the matrix consisted of lamellae of densely packed cylindrical collagen fibrils. Cell remnants with intact nuclei, with or without a nucleolus, as well as variable lengths of plasma membrane were occasionally present on the surface of bony trabecula. Remnants of odontoblast processes were present in some dentin tubules. High and low angle X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the demineralized matrix contained native collagen molecules and amino acid analysis showed that the composition was comparable to that of type I collagen. Cyanogen bromide peptide mapping indicated that the major peptides of type I collagen were present and had the same electrophoretic mobility as that of type I collagen of demineralized Asian elephant bone and rat tail tendon.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The short-faced bearArctodus simusfrom the late Quaternary in the Wasatch Mountains of central Utah

ABSTRACT A partial cranium with upper dentition and an isolated rib of the extinct short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, were associated with a nearly complete skeleton of the Columbian mammoth, Mammuthus columbi, at a high elevation site in Huntington Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains of central Utah. This large A. simus was a decidedly short-faced individual. Radiometric dates for the mammoth cluster around the interval ±11,220–11,400 BP; dates for spruce wood in stratigraphic position above and below the mammoth skeleton cluster around ±9,400 BP. Assuming direct association with the mammoth, the occurrence of Arctodus simus at ≤ 11,400 BP is a new terminal date for the species. The mammoth and bear may have been associated with humans in the Huntington Canyon vicinity. The late Quaternary high elevation fauna of Utah includes 30 genera from sites above 1,950 meters above mean sea level. Late Quaternary high elevation faunas of the central and southern Rocky Mountains included the short-faced bear, and may ha...

How elephants grow: heterochrony and the calibration of developmental stages in some living and fossil species

ABSTRACT I present 1) baseline information on ontogeny in Recent elephants, and 2) some preliminary comparisons with fossil specimens. Relationships between size, state of skeletal fusion, and dental stage are similar in the two Recent species, Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus. Limb bones that complete epiphyseal fusion late in ontogeny also grow more in absolute terms. Growth and dental progression are linearly related and probably gradual with respect to time, whereas skeletal fusion appears to be concentrated within a short period. Females are small and advanced in skeletal fusion for their dental stages. Limb proportions in elephants change with increasing size: the scapula becomes longer relative to other bones, and the femur becomes longer relative to the tibia. Among L. africana, E. maximus, and Mammuthus columbi, animals similar in size have similar limb proportions; the largest individuals, of L. africana and M. columbi, have exaggerated proportions and are therefore peramorphic. One might ...

A tooth of Mammuthus primigenius from Chestermere Lake near Calgary, Alberta, and the distribution of mammoths in southwestern Canada

A well-preserved molar of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was recovered from deposits at Chestermere Lake near Calgary. It is probably of late Wisconsin age, and is one of several mammoth fossils collected from Pleistocene sediments in the Calgary area.The Chestermere Lake specimen is considered in relation to 94 records of mammoth cheek teeth from the western Canadian provinces. Of the 94 records, 5 are from Manitoba, 35 are from Saskatchewan, 37 are from Alberta, and 17 are from British Columbia. In addition to specimens of woolly mammoths, remains of Columbian (Mammuthus columbi), imperial (Mammuthus imperator), and southern mammoths (Mammuthus meridionalis) have been collected from Pleistocene deposits of southwestern Canada. Some problems concerning the relationships of North American and Eurasian mammoths are mentioned.

Mammoth from Babine Lake, British Columbia

Remains of a partially articulate mammoth skeleton were exposed during stripping operations at a mining site on Babine Lake, central British Columbia. The bones lay in silty pond deposits in a bedrock depression, and were overlain by a thin layer of gravel and a thick layer of glacial till. Although no molar teeth were found, limb proportions show that the specimen was a large mammoth, like the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus cf. M. columbi). Two radiocarbon dates of 42 900 ± 1860 yr B.P. and 43 800 ± 1830 yr B.P. on wood from the silty fossiliferous layer, and another of 34 000 ± 690 yr B.P. on mammoth bone suggest that the animal sank in sticky pond deposits and died there. Paleobotanical evidence indicates that, during this part of the Olympia Interglaciation, the vegetation near Babine Lake was similar to present shrub tundra just beyond the treeline in northern Canada.

Relict Lacustrine Sediments on Inner Continental Shelf, Southeast Texas: ABSTRACT

Using scuba, 27 rock samples were collected from a small northwest-trending ridge with 5.5 m of relief located 74 km south of the northern entrance to Padre Island National Seashore and 3.2 km offshore from Padre Island (26°51^primeN, 97°18^primeW) in 14 m of water. All are massively bedded subarkoses and sublitharenites cemented by low-Mg micritic calcite. The acid-insoluble residue, which averages 73 percent, is a subrounded muddy, fine sand (Mz = 3.06^phgr) that is poorly sorted (^sgrI = 1.74^phgr), extremely leptokurtic (KG = 4.32), and strongly fine skewed (SkI = +0.65). Most contain mesovugs and channels that are lined with sparry calcite, clay, or fibrous chalcedony. Irregular shaped lumps and clots of iron and anganese oxides are common. Land snails (Helicina orbiculata tropica, Polygyra septemvolva febigeri) and freshwater snails (Helisoma trivolvis, Physa sp.) have been extracted from the rock. Teeth and bones of Pleistocene mammals (Mammuthus columbi, Mammut americanum, Bison sp.) also have been found in crevices in the ridge. The ridge is interpreted as an intermittent lake deposit that formed on a late Pleistocene extension of the South Texas eolian sand sheet. Mud and fine sand were blown into the lake from surrounding dune fields and mixed with accumulating carbonate deposits. During dry periods, the sediments developed soils that were vegetated and later calichified. Because of their superior hardness, the lake sediments survived the Holocene transgression and have become a submarine prominence. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2213------------

An Unusually Complete Mammoth Skull, Mammuthus columbi (Falconer), from Trego County, Kansas

An Unusually Complete Mammoth Skull, Mammuthus columbi (Falconer), from Trego County, Kansas

Late Pleistocene Extinction and Radiocarbon Dating

AbstractAll radiocarbon dates from North America, associated with extinct Late Pleistocene mammals, those from levels stratigraphically later than levels with extinct forms, and dates associated with recent fauna are tabulated alphabetically by site. Dates associated with extinct fauna are cross-referenced in an alphabetical listing of species. Dates considered invalid are tabulated and are not utilized in formulating conclusions. Most herding animals, such as the Columbian mammoth, horse, camel, and bison, as well as the dire wolf, rapidly became extinct about 8000 years ago. The dates suggest a southward withdrawal from the Great Plains by the mammoth and a partial contemporaneity of Clovis elephant hunters in southern Arizona with Folsom bison hunters on the Plains. Dates for the extinction of the Imperial mammoth are probably too early. The mastodon may have survived in isolated areas after the extinction of other forms. The super bison may have become extinct earlier than 8000 years ago and Bison bison seems to have been present in some areas before the extinction of B. antiquus. Radiocarbon dates do not support the supposed late survival of the ground sloth. Extinction apparently occurred earlier in the Great Basin and Coahuila than in intervening areas.

Faunal Remains from the Lehner Mammoth Site

AbstractThe Lehner site fauna includes at least nine individuals of Mammuthus columbi and one each of Equus, Bison, and Tapirus. Mammoth material consists chiefly of jaws and teeth and shows a great range of individual variation. The tapir is represented by one of the largest fossil tapir jaws described from North America. The accumulation is considered to represent several kills over a period of several months. Climate at the time of the Lehner hunts was probably more humid than at present, but not tropical. The radiocarbon date of about 11,000 B.P. is considered reasonable. New genera reported from other early man faunas are Neotoma from the Ventana complex and Bison from the Naco site.