Mammuthus primigenius

Class Mammalia, Order Proboscidea, Family Elephantidae

Geological Time: Pleistocene (~30,000 Years Old)

Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Box: 138 mm by 113 mm

Fossil Site: Taymir Peninsular, Siberia

Code: WMF07

Price: $55.00 - sold

Description: This is a swatch of fur from one of the most well-known Ice Age mammals: the woolly mammoth. Mammoths display a number of features as adaptations to a cold environment, with its long hair as the most distinctive of all. The coarse wiry outer hairs could be up to 90 cm in length, with the shorter, woolly inner hairs making for a dense insulating layer. The furry coat is known from many carcasses found frozen in Siberia over the last century. While the most common color seen is orange, colors from blond to nearly black have been found. It is thought that the color in life was most likely dark brown like the extant musk ox, with the colors as preserved the result of loss of natural pigment during its long burial. This sample comes in a Riker type display box, and would make a fine present for the budding naturalist in the family.