Researchers and volunteers digging through the muck in Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass Village today said they have uncovered the remains of mastodons of all ages, including a 7-inch long femur that may have come from a fetus.
The dig has also uncovered the skull of an infant, about the size of a basketball; the skull of a juvenile, about the size of a beer keg; and the skull of an infant, about the size of a basketball.
“Based on our previous research, we know that we are finding male and female mastodons of all ages,” said Kirk Johnson, the leader of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s excavation team and vice president of the Research and Collections Division. “Since beginning the dig last fall, we have uncovered 26 total mastodon tusks, which means we have evidence for at least 13 to 20 different mastodons on this site. We’ll know more as we study the growth rings on each tusk and identify pairs of tusks that belonged to individual mastodons.”
There are only three previous recorded mastodon finds in Colorado and none included skulls.
“We have so many speculative questions, like why were so many mastodons in this one location, and what can scientists learn from this discovery?” added Johnson. “At this point, we only have speculative answers. We’re busy collecting data and mapping the finds, so these details can help us develop solid answers.”
This is the Museum’s second run at the important Ice Age discovery uncovered Oct. 14, when a bulldozer unearthed mammoth bones while expanding the 15-acre reservoir to increase snowmaking capacity for the Snowmass ski area.
During the first dig, museum workers – 67 individuals – recovered more than 500 bones representing eight to 10 American mastodons, four Columbian mammoths, four ice-age bison, two deer, Colorado’s first-ever Jefferson’s ground sloth and several smaller animal species, and hundreds of pounds of plant material.
Scientists and volunteers returned to the site May 15 with a seven-week window to excavate as many fossils as they can. Then, work on the reservoir resumes in earnest with construction of a dam.
The current dig is now in its 21st day. Since work resumed, researchers have also found additional pieces of the Jefferson’s ground sloth, a deer pelvis and evidence of an ice-age camel.
Work crews include 36 scientific experts, 107 trained volunteers, 35 staff members, and nine interns. Beginning Saturday, the crew size will increase by a dozen people.
Watch a video of the work on the fossils at the museum web site, Denver Museuem of Nature and Science.
