It is hard to imagine that millions of years ago that Mastodons roamed the landscape around Waco, Texas. Not only have skeletons of 65,000-year-old Mammoths been excavated in the area; the skeletal remains of a 10,000 year-old man and child were also found. This ancient history and more can be shared with family and friends with a visit the Mayborn Museum Complex, located at 1300 S. University Parks Drive.
What
you may not know is that Waco is one of the most important
paleontological sites in the world where researchers gather
to study the largest concentration of mammoths to have died
from a single event. Relatives of both Woolly Mammoths and
Mastodons, Columbian Mammoths most closely resembled
modern-day African and Asian elephants. Drawn to the
riverbed in what was believed to be a time of severe
drought, these enormous creatures were caught in a flash
flood and unable to escape the torrential downpour.
During their investigation researches found a moving discovery; both the bull and the matriarch were found holding baby mammoths in their tusks in an effort to save them from the rising waters. Even millions of years ago the love of parents for their child existed. Researchers continue their work at the Mammoth Site, so it is not open to the public at this time. No worries though, at the Mayborn Museum Complex you'll find a cast of the matriarch and the young mammoth’s remains on display.
This
is a rare exhibit because it is set in the floor of the
exhibit hall, and covered with a high-pressure glass. Take a
few steps forward, and look down, you'll find yourself
directly over the skeleton, which gives each visitor a
unique sense of both the scale of the mammoths and the
tragedy of the event.
For those who enjoy Pod Cast you can download the
Mayborn Museum
podcast onto your MP3
player, then bring your MP3 player into our 'Wrapped in
Tradition' exhibit and enjoy a self-led tour. Throughout the
exhibit you will find certain displays and objects that have
numbers associated with them. Spend the day at the museum
exploring 16 themed Discovery rooms, such as the
Communication Room, the Health Room and the Invertebrate
Room.
To learn events and exhibits at the Mayborn Museum Complex visit http://www.baylor.edu/mayborn. For more on the Mammoth site and other area attractions visit the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.wacocvb.com
