Woolly Mammoth Bones

Three sets of woolly mammoth bones were found in Mahaska County in 2010 by a man and his son who originally saw something that looked like a bowling ball. This ended up being the femur of a woolly mammoth.  After they started to excavate they found teeth, a skull and other bones. 

• What type of bone is this?

• Is this a mammal or dinosaur?
• How do we know that it is a mammoth? 
• Why would we find a mammoth here in Iowa?
• Why did the woolly mammoth die?

Students could:

• Research how scientists determine that this bone is a woolly mammoth. 
• Provide evidence that mammoths could have been in Iowa.  
• Compare woolly mammoth teeth to Asian elephants.
• Look at maps of the last ice age to see where glaciers would be. 
• Write a claim with evidence and reasoning as to why the mammoths would have died at the excavation site.

• University of Iowa Museum of Natural History | Mahaska County Mammoths: This article describes the discovery of mammoths in Iowa.
• Iowa Now | Discovery of Mammoth Proportions: This article describes the discovery of mammoths in Iowa and how they were excavated.
• Mahaska County Conservation Board: Learn more about Mahaska County and the Mahaska County Conservation Board.
• New Visions for Schools | Woolly Mammoth Unit This middle school storyline explores the extinction of mammoths and includes a full teacher guide and student materials.