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BROKEN MAMMOTH
Ancient Hunting Site

Broken Mammoth DioramaThe mammoths and horses depicted in this photo may have been present, or have recently become extinct. None of their bones have been found at Broken Mammoth or other late Ice Age sites. But the surviving tusks were useful as tools, and the legends of the mammoth must surely have remained.

The bones of the animals at the Broken Mammoth site were preserved because of unusual soil conditions in the unglaciated central Tanana Valley. The large deposits of glacial silt that buried the site contain limestone. This in turn neutralized the acids produced by the spruce trees that later grew on the site.

WolfThis site depicts some of the animals whose remains are most commonly found at the Broken Mammoth site - bison, elk (wapiti), caribou, mountain sheep, snowshoe hares, Arctic foxes, wolves whistling swans, Canada geese, as well as the mammoth and horse that may have been present.

 

All Illustrations by Mark Matson



Discover more about the animals of the Alaska Steppe
Back to Broken Mammoth Woolly Mammoth Dall Sheep Arctic Fox Bison & Baby Canada Goose
Elk Snowshoe Hare Lion Whistling Swan Horse
 

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