Mammoth

Nebraska designated the mammoth as its official state fossil in 1967, one of the earliest such designations in the country. The state recognizes three species: the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), and the imperial mammoth (Mammuthus imperator). All three grazed the grasslands and river valleys of Nebraska during the Pleistocene epoch and left behind some of the richest mammoth fossil deposits in North America.

The three Nebraska mammoth species varied in size and habitat. The imperial mammoth was the largest, standing up to 14 feet at the shoulder and weighing as much as 10 tons — among the biggest land mammals that ever lived. The Columbian mammoth was nearly as large and is the species best represented in Nebraska's fossil record. The woolly mammoth was smaller, about 9 to 11 feet tall, and built for cold climates with a thick coat of fur and a dense undercoat.

All three were grazers with high-ridged molar teeth designed to process tough prairie grasses. Unlike mastodons, which browsed forests, mammoths preferred open grasslands and river floodplains. They lived in herds and went extinct about 10,000 years ago as the Ice Age ended and the grassland ecosystems they depended on shrank.

Nebraska designated the mammoth in 1967, driven by the state's exceptional fossil record. Mammoth bones, teeth, and tusks have been turning up across Nebraska since the 19th century, and by the mid-20th century the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln had assembled one of the most complete mammoth collections in the world. The museum's mounted Columbian mammoth skeleton — nicknamed Archie — is one of the largest mounted mammoth specimens on public display anywhere.

The designation recognized Nebraska's position at the center of North American mammoth territory. The state's Pleistocene river valleys and lake beds preserved mammoth remains in exceptional numbers, and ongoing road, farm, and construction work continues to bring new specimens to light.

Mammoth fossils have been found in dozens of Nebraska counties, with the highest density in the Platte River valley and the Sandhills region. The Republican River valley in southern Nebraska and the Niobrara River drainage in the north have also yielded notable specimens.

The University of Nebraska State Museum (Morrill Hall) in Lincoln is the best place to see Nebraska mammoth material. Its mounted Columbian mammoth skeleton Archie, recovered from Lincoln County, stands in the main hall and has been a centerpiece of the collection since the 1920s. The Hastings Museum in Hastings also holds regional Pleistocene material.