City weighs fate of mammoth bones




ANCIENT WARRIOR-Skeletal remains of a wooly mammoth like the one shown above were found at a Moorpark development site on the morning of April 7. The Moorpark City Council is deciding what to do with the bones.

ANCIENT WARRIOR-Skeletal remains of a wooly mammoth like the one shown above were found at a Moorpark development site on the morning of April 7. The Moorpark City Council is deciding what to do with the bones.


By Sylvie Belmond
belmond@theacorn.com

The skeleton of an ancient mammoth found late last week during a routine excavation in the Meridian Hills project in Moorpark has a new home—for now.


The bones have been taken to the Paleo Environmental Associates’ Laboratory in Santa Ana for cleaning and further analysis.


The Moorpark City Council is expected to make a decision about the final disposition of the bones later this month.


"I’m going to suggest that we also contact CSUCI, UCSB, and the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum to see if there is other interest," said Councilmember Clint Harper.



The mammoth stood 12 feet tall at the shoulders, with 8-foot tusks, and is probably from the Pleistocene Epoch and between 400,000 and 1.8 million years old, said Hugh Riley, Moorpark assistant city manager.


"If so, this would be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, mammoth found in California," Riley said.


The skeleton was discovered as a developer, William Lyon Homes, was preparing the ground for a 250-home subdivision. A project paleontologist noticed part of one of the tusks sticking out of the soil.


The developer was complying with the city’s Paleontological Resources Salvage Plan, which requires daily on-site inspections by a qualified paleontologist. According to the plan, Moorpark now has the option to retain ownership of the discovery.


When the remains were found, work at the site, located west of Walnut Canyon Road, south of Championship Drive and north of Casey Road, was immediately halted so further investigation could be conducted, Riley said.


Ultimately, the fossils may be loaned permanently to the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History in accordance with the city’s salvage plan, Riley said.


Reproductions of the skeleton may also be constructed for display at other locations.


The species of the ancient mammal found in Moorpark has not yet been identified.


Based on the apparent age of the remains, the animal could be of the meridionalis species, said Larry Agenbroad, lead researcher at the Hot Springs Mammoth Site in South Dakota.


Paleontologists believe the meridionalis was the first mammoth to reach this continent about 1.7 million years ago.


However, other experts disagree because that species has never been found in coastal California. The irregular curving tusk uncovered is characteristic of a Columbian Mammoth or an Imperial Mammoth, they said.


Today, most archeological treasures are found during excavation for new developments. While the fossilized bones of this mammoth have all been recovered by now, the developer is proceeding cautiously, Riley said.


 

 

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