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Waco Mammoth Site

The Waco Mammoth Site sits in a 100-plus acre stretch of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. Covered in sprawling oak, mesquite and cedar trees, the site offers student travelers an escape from the modern world and provides a glimpse into the lives of Columbian mammoths.

How the animals died is still a mystery. No evidence of human involvement was found, and most of the remains did not appear disturbed by predators or scavengers. One of the first hypotheses was that the animals perished in a catastrophic tragedy. However, recent geologic research indicates that the animals died in a series of events spread across many years.

Approximately 68,000 years ago, rapidly rising waters from the Bosque River flooded the site. At least 19 mammoths from a nursery herd were trapped in a steep-sided channel and drowned. A camel may have also been trapped and killed during this event. Later, after floods buried the remains, a second event took place. During this event, an unidentified animal associated with a juvenile saber-tooth cat died and was buried. The third event involved a bull, a juvenile, and an adult female. Approximately 15,000 years after the nursery herd was trapped, these animals also appear to have been victims of rising water, unable to escape due to the slippery slopes of the surrounding channel. 

Though the site was discovered in 1978, it remained closed to the public until December 2009. The discovery of additional fossil material during the construction of the dig shelter will help further the research into when and how the Waco mammoths lived and died.

Legislation is currently pending to create the Waco Mammoth National Monument and to include the site as a unit of the National Park Service.

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