Excavation of Rare Mammoth to Begin Today

One scientist made his name excavating more than 50 mammoths from a sinkhole in South Dakota.

Another did her dissertation on the pygmy mammoths that roamed the Channel Islands.

A third has studied the unique geological formations on the islands and can tell the age of sediment surrounding a rare pygmy mammoth fossil.

The team of scientists from across the country will converge on Santa Rosa Island today to excavate the fossil from an eroding sand dune. If their hunch is correct, this could be the first complete skeleton ever found of the extinct species.

They can’t wait to find out.

“Think of the night before Christmas,” Channel Islands National Park archeologist Don Morris said as the scientists gathered Monday. “That’s where we are right now. We’ve been looking at this package under the tree for several weeks. We’re ready to open it.”

They’re not the only one waiting for answers.

Russian scientists have called to see how the Channel Islands discovery compares with tiny mammoths unearthed on a Siberian island. National Geographic magazine is sending a photographer. The Smithsonian Institution may send a paleontologist, said park spokeswoman Carol Spears.

Until now, scientists have found no more than one or two complete limbs of the species, which grew to between four and six feet high. This skeleton, if complete, could tell scientists how the diminutive creature moved, what it ate and exactly how tall it grew.

“We don’t know a great deal about mammoths, and we probably know less about the pygmy mammoths,” said Larry Agenbroad, a geologist who studies the breed at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, S.D., and at Northern Arizona University.

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After viewing the exposed skull and vertebrae of the pygmy mammoth on Santa Rosa, he estimates that the skeleton is at least 85% intact.

Agenbroad became intrigued with mammoths during digs in southern Arizona. The scientists there were searching for the spears and pottery of prehistoric man. Agenbroad wanted to know more about the beasts they were slaying.

Agenbroad and his colleague, Jim Mead, once discovered a cave full of mammoth dung, 300 cubic yards of it. Analysis of the stuff revealed the diet of the North American creatures, which turned out to be very similar to their Siberian counterparts.

Louise Roth, a biology professor at Duke University in North Carolina, studied the Channel Islands pygmy mammoth species as a graduate student. Interested in the evolution of mammals, she explored the dynamics of large species moving to small islands and shrinking over successive generations--as pygmy mammoths are believed to have done.

Tom Rockwell, a geologist at San Diego State University, has tramped all over the Channel Islands in his study of marine terraces and other geological formations. He was on a field trip in June when he stumbled across the pygmy mammoth fossil.

Rounding out the scientific team will be Morris, the park archeologist. He’s hoping to see some sign of human contact with the mammoth. Scientists are deeply divided over whether the islands’ early settlers arrived in time to hunt the creatures, or whether climate change was entirely responsible for their extinction.

“It may have been the first humans ate the last mammoths,” he said.

The excavation team plans to cut away the sand from the eroding dune and expose the entire skeleton. Then they will photograph, measure and map the fossil in place. Roth, the Duke biologist, has brought a special camera that can take pictures in three dimensions.

Next the scientists will remove the fossil bones and place them in plaster casts. Agenbroad said he expects to separate the skeleton into three sections before transporting it to the mainland.

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The excavation could take 10 days, but research on the bones and terrain will continue for at least six months. A replica of the skeleton will eventually be placed at the Channel Islands visitors center at Ventura Harbor.

Agenbroad said he has brought educational materials for elementary students and hopes Ventura County schools can capitalize on the pygmy mammoth discovery.

“Every little kid can give you a dinosaur name that long,” Agenbroad said, spreading his arms wide. “But not many kids can tell you much about mammoths.”

FYI

Friends of Channel Island National Park is offering visitors a chance to see an excavation team recover a rare pygmy mammoth fossil. Visitors can take a 3 1/2-hour boat trip to Santa Rosa Island on Thursday, or a 25-minute plane ride on Saturday. The boat trip costs $55 to $70 and can be arranged by calling Island Packers at 642-1393. The plane ride costs $85 to $100 and can be arranged by calling 658-5740.