During the last Ice Age, mammoths and their distant cousins, the mastodons, were among the most eminent species to roam the planet. Mammoths, which are the ancient ancestors of modern-day elephants, evolved roughly five million years ago, and most of them became extinct around 10,000 years ago.
Roughly 20% of the skeleton of the “Bristle Mammoth” was uncovered. This gave researchers quite a bit of data to work with. Prof. Fisher concluded that the bones found in Michigan were between 11,000 and 15,000 years old.
More Mammoth Discoveries
In addition to the fossilized mammoth tusk and skull, more bones from the extinct animal were dug up by the team. They found a pelvis bone, several vertebrae, ribs, and both shoulder blades. The items were carefully removed from the mud while the fascinated onlookers observed.
Bristle’s grandson was on the scene, and the farmer described the experience: “When my five-year-old grandson came over and saw the pelvis, he just stood there with his jaw wide open and stared. He was in awe.” The remains were then packed up and sent to a museum for further study, which revealed yet another surprise.
Humanity’s Role
Just like the ancient find in Argentina, the remarkable discovery of the woolly mammoth remains in Michigan begged the question of how and why did the animal end up in that location. Not surprisingly, the human element also played an important part in the place the “Michigan Mammoth” was found.
Dan Fisher, a professor from Michigan, speculated that when the mammoth died, it had been roughly 40 years old. “We think that humans were here and may have butchered and stashed the meat so that they could come back later for it,” he said. However, there was one more astonishing thing still to learn about the long-dead creature.
New Information
Based on Prof. Fisher’s theory about humans being the end of this mammoth and storing its meat, researchers will continue to examine the bones for other signs of human involvement. They will look for cut marks and other indications in the hopes of finding new information about the hotly debated subject of humanity’s arrival on the continent.
If the Age Ice artifacts yield any new information, they could help provide groundbreaking evidence about the timing of mankind’s arrival in the Americas. They could actually prove that there was an interaction between humans and the woolly mammoth in the eastern Great Lakes basin earlier than what was previously thought.
Is It Rare to Find a Mammoth?
The discovery of the Bristle Mammoth was an incredible find, but what makes it even more amazing is how rare mammoth finds are. Prof. Fisher explains, “We get calls once or twice a year about new specimens like this,” but added that most of those turn out to be mastodons.
There have been roughly 300 mastodon findings in Michigan so far, but over the same period, only 30 mammoths have been found. Of the mammoths found, only ten yielded any substantial results. Prof. Fisher says this is because most of the mammoths uncovered are not as structurally intact as the one found in James Bristle’s field.