Waco Mammoth National Monument

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

Waco Mammoth National Monument is one of America's newest national monuments (#thanksobama  ), and really a quite nice little paleontological exhibit. It's the site of the discovery of one of the only two known mammoth "nursery herds" in the world, and the only one in the US (the other is in Russia). Located in Texas, the species represented is of course the Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbii). The nursery herd was discovered in 1978, and was fully excavated by 1990, and the fossils are now stored in the museum at nearby Baylor University. However, more individuals not associated with the nursery herd have been discovered in the meantime, and a large building was erected over the site to protect the area and provide a nice viewing area for the general public. With the protection of the building, excavation has been on pause for a while as the specimens in storage are described. A few adult and a couple juvenile mammoths, as well as a relatively complete Camelops and fragmentary remains of a sabertooth cat, are still visible emerging from the ground for the tourists to see. It's $5 for a guided tour of the site; I can't remember if you're allowed to do a self-guided tour for free. I'd recommend the guided tour though; the guides are very knowledgeable. As a bonus for everyone in this forum: the gift shop currently has all available Safari prehistoric mammals on sale, including the Toobs. I'm posting a few pictures below.

I stole this one from the blog Mary Anning's Revenge, run by two ladies named Meaghan and Amy. I highly recommend checking out their blog, they've got good stuff.  http://www.maryanningsrevenge.com/2015/08/waco-mammoth-national-monument.html


I took this picture of the inside of the main building to give you an idea of the space inside.


Here's the largest mammoth found at the site; it's an old bull which appears to have been trying to lift a juvenile with its tusks to safety when they were drowned in the flooding of a nearby river (in a separate event from the flood that drowned the nursery herd). This is interesting as male elephants don't generally interact with juveniles much.


The Camelops skeleton is visible at the bottom of this photo.


This nice (if somewhat morbid) mural overlooks the site, depicting the nursery herd as they were overtaken by the flooding river. The camel makes a cameo in the waves behind the herd.


I also liked this life-sized reproduction on the wall near the entrance. Puny humans up front for reference.

[Derek.McManus]

Absolutely fascinating...I'm guessing you had a great day out! Looks really interesting thank you for taking the time to share!

[Halichoeres]

Aw, man! I just drove through Waco three weeks ago. I wish I'd known this was there, as there isn't much else worth visiting.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

That would be fun to see. I don't have plans to visit Texas but if I somehow find myself nearby it looks like it's well worth a visit.

[DinoLord]

Neat! I go to school in Texas and never knew this place existed. Unfortunately it'd be a three hour drive from me. I'll definitely check it out if I'm ever in the area.

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

Aw, man! I just drove through Waco three weeks ago. I wish I'd known this was there, as there isn't much else worth visiting.

Well, if you ever make it back, be sure to check out the Mayborn Museum at Baylor University as well (also in Waco). They have several natural history exhibits, including additional specimens from the Mammoth Site. I haven't been there yet myself, but I'm planning on checking it out next time I'm down there!
http://www.baylor.edu/mayborn/index.php?id=931422

[Halichoeres]

Aw, man! I just drove through Waco three weeks ago. I wish I'd known this was there, as there isn't much else worth visiting.

Well, if you ever make it back, be sure to check out the Mayborn Museum at Baylor University as well (also in Waco). They have several natural history exhibits, including additional specimens from the Mammoth Site. I haven't been there yet myself, but I'm planning on checking it out next time I'm down there!
http://www.baylor.edu/mayborn/index.php?id=931422

Thanks! I'll do that next time I'm in the neighborhood.