Nebraska: mammoth (state fossil)

The state fossil of Nebraska is the mammoth. Three species of mammoth are known from the state: the woolly mammmoth (Mammuthus primigenius), the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), and the Imperial mammoth (Mammuthus imperator). These large elephants are known from Pleistocene Epoch sediments, at a time between 1.6 million and 10,000 years ago when Nebraska was at the southern edge of the large glaciers that covered northern North America. Vast prairies dotted with lakes developed near the ice sheets, providing an ideal grassy habitat for these large grazing creatures, as well as for bison, beavers, prairie dogs, and condors.

Mammoth fossils have been found in all 93 of Nebraska's counties, and it is estimated that the remains of ten mammoths lie buried in an average square mile of Nebraska landscape! The most famous discovery in the state was a 15 ton, 14 foot high specimen of the Imperial mammoth found in Lincoln County in 1922. This specimen resides at the University of Nebraska State Museum, and a bronze statue of it was installed on the university's campus in 1998.

The best mammoth remains are usually found in the western part of the state, frequently near major rivers, among them the Missouri, Platte, and Niobrara.

At the close of the Pleistocene, 10,000 years ago, all these mammoths went extinct. Disease and overhunting by prehistoric humans have been suggested as causes, but the real reason remains unknown.

Because of the mammoth's popularity and the ubiquity of its remains, the Nebraska State Legislature named it the state fossil on March 1, 1967, the 100th anniversary of the state.

For further information:

Nebraska symbols

Nebraska State Fossil

Nebraska Vertebrate Paleontology