Watch CBS News

Mammoth Fossil Found In San Isabel National Forest On Display In Canon City

CANON CITY, Colo. (CBS4) - A mammoth fossil discovered in the San Isabel National Forest is now on display in Canon City.

According to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, the fossil mammoth tibia (lower leg bone) was found in July and is on display at the BLM/USFS field office in Canon City.

mammoth2
(credit: U.S. Forest Service)

"U.S. Forest Service soils scientist Steve Sanchez noticed prominent sedimentary rock layers in the area which might contain dinosaur tracks. Bruce Schumacher, a paleontologist for the USFS Rocky Mountain Region followed up on the information and it led to the fossil discovery," Barb Timock with the Pike and San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) said in prepared statement.

RELATED: Mammoth Fossils Found In Snowmass Village

"In some respects, the discovery of an 'elephant' on the Forest is so much more meaningful than that of a dinosaur. We know that mammoths were around recently enough to share the same landscape that we know today. Imagine a herd of mammoths with Spanish Peaks on the horizon," Schumacher said.

mammoth1
U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region Paleontologist Dr. Bruce Schumacher discovers fossil Mammoth bone found in Colorado on San Isabel National Forest – San Carlos Ranger District in 2015. (credit: U.S. Forest Service)

The fossil will eventually be moved to the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center for long-term display this winter.

"I'm very pleased to work with our local Museum to keep this here locally where it was found," San Carlos District Ranger Paul Crespin said.

Additional Information From PSICC

The mammoth bone was deposited by stream action on top of the dinosaur-bearing Morrison Formation, and was then covered by Pleistocene flood and rockfall deposits. The bone was found in what are likely Pleistocene aged gravel deposits that can be up to 1 million years or more in age. This time period includes the beginning of the ice age, a time when large mammals commonly referred to as "Megafauna" roamed the earth. A typical mammoth would have stood about nine feet tall at its shoulder, and is most closely related to Asian elephants of today.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.