Mammuthus primigenius
Mammal Order Proboscidea, Family Elephantidae
Geological Time: Late Pleistocene (~50,000 Years Old)
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Fossil jaw: 380 mm long by 230 mm high by 120 wide Tooth: 210 mm long by 72 mm wide by 120 mm tall (including root)
Fossil Site: San River, Przemysl Region, Poland
Fossil Code: 10557
Price: $995.00 - sold
 Description:
A spectacular example of a Series III (third) molar of the Wooly
Mammoth still in place in the left side of the jaw of a juvenile,
this specimen comes from deposits in the bend of the River San
in southwestern Poland. Since it comes from a freshwater deposit,
it has none of the attendant problems with stability associated
with those dredged up by fishermen in the North Sea. Teeth from
such inland deposits make up only a  minuscule proportion of the
mammoth teeth offered on the market, and as such are in high demand.
Like the modern day elephant, mammoths had a total of 6 teeth,
with only one tooth active in the jaw at any one time. A baby mammoth’s
first tooth was similar in size to an adult human molar.  By 6 months
of age, the second molar began forming, replacing the first molar
by 18 months of age. This tooth was replaced by the third, which
lasted until a mammoth was about ten years old, with each successive
tooth replacing the one before in conveyor belt fashion. The last
molar would come into play by the time a mammoth was 40, and would
need to last for the balance of the mammoth’s life. This
fine specimen is quite complete, with the root exposed on the lingual
side of the jaw. This is the first and only such example I have
been able to secure, and would make a fine cabinet specimen for
any collector. |
