Mammoth Site

Spring break looked a little different this year.  We were supposed to be in Oceanside enjoying some beach time, Disney time, Lego time, and racing.  However plans changed so we decided to introduce the kids to the concept of a road trip.  We drove up through South Dakota and the kids really loved it.  Our first stop was at Mammoth Site.  There was a pond here in the Black Hills that was the perfect trap for mammoths, they could walk right in to drink and swim, but because of the fragile soil composition they couldn't get enough purchase to climb out and would die in the pond.  So far they've discovered sixty-one mammoths here; including two different species, American Columbian and wooly mammoths, among many other mammals.  

The foyer was about what we expected and we posed next to an articulated mammoth fossil.  

What we didn't expect was that as we walked through a set of doors that we would be in a room that fully encompassed the sinkhole that they mammoths had such trouble with.  They scientists have removed some of the fossils for study, but they have also left most of the fossils exactly were they were discovered.  It's really fascinating to see how they all puzzle together.  All of the kids were so engaged.  They loved walking down to the bottom of the pit, as well as around the perimeter looking for the mammoths on our guide map.  We really liked all of the models that really illustrated how big these creatures were.  

It's still an ongoing archeological dig site.

Cambrie eating Daxton's head with mammoth teeth.

Fossils of cave bears have also been found in the sinkhole, and there was a side exhibit with different species of ancient bears.  This one could definitely eat Kelton's face.  

I would not want to be chased by this predator!  

By now we were running out of time and had to rush through the back room of the ice age exhibits.  It was really cool seeing how some of the ice age people used the materials from the mammoths to live, like this mammoth bone hut which contains hundreds of mammoth bones.  

Ancient arrowheads

Near the gift shop the kids could dig for their own fossils in a sand pit.  There were actually a lot of hands-on activities the kids could enjoy.  It was a surprisingly awesome visit.