Bones are piled on bones in this Mammoth graveyard. They are carefully being excavated.
The Mammoth Site, located in Hot Springs, South Dakota contains the remains of more than 60 mammals and 87 other species, such as the giant short-faced bear. Bones upon bones are concentrated in an area about the size of a large gymnasium.
Although this editor is from South Dakota, this was the first time visiting this mammoth “graveyard.” It is a museum and also an active paleontological site. One can walk around the indoor excavation site and watch as bones are carefully revealed in a site that is estimated to be around 20,000 years old.
Complete mammoth skeletons have been found and assembled at the site.
The site, which was a small hill outside of the main town had been an eyesore when construction worker George Hanson unearthed some bones, while preparing the land for a subdivision. His son recognized one of the bones as a mammoth tooth.
The landowner Phil Anderson agreed to halt the development until a local geologist, a college professor, was able to come to the site to access it. A complete mammoth skull and tusk were found in 1974. A building to enclose the site was then constructed, as well as a museum.
Anderson agreed to donate the entire bone bed and mineral rights to the nonprofit organization and along with the work performed by amateur and professional excavators, led to its status as a museum. It was designated a national Natural Landmark in 1980.
At one time, an artesian-fed spring created a pond that attracted wildlife. As the giant animals came over to take a drink, they slid into the water. Because of the steep sides of the slippery Spearfish Shale, which surrounded the pond, the animals were not able to get out and were trapped. It is speculated that they died of starvation, exhaustion or drowned.
Eventually the sinkhole filled, the well’s water diverted to the local Fall River. Over thousands of years, the “mud-plug” covering the animals hardened and remained stable. The surrounding land around it, eroded, leaving the sinkhole as a small hill.
It is now believed that the site has the largest concentration of mammoths in the world. As of 2016, the remains of 61 mammoths, including 58 North American Columbian and three woolly mammoths had been recovered. In addition to the mammoths and the bear, also found in the sinkhole were shrub oxen, an American camel, llama, wolves, coyotes, birds, minks, ferrets prairie dogs, voles and moles.
While at the museum, a couple from Indiana were visiting and started chatting. They said they had last visited the site five years ago and wondered about the pace of excavations and if anything new was found.
But they were happy because they said the last time they had walked on a certain sidewalk over the dig, that was not closed to public, because of ongoing excavations. “We prefer going to this area of the world, over Europe,” the woman said. “There are more interesting things to see here. “
Giant short-faced bears went extinct some 11,000 years ago. These massive animals, which stood 10-feet-tall on their hind legs and weighed nearly a ton, vanished near the end of the Pleistocene period.