Mammoth Bones Found at Reservoir | Big Horn Basin Media

Mammoth Bones Found at Reservoir

Written by on April 19, 2018

A hiker at the Buffalo Bill Reservoir this week made a historic discovery.
Skeletal remains found at the Reservoir Tuesday appear to belong to an ancient mammoth.
According to an article in the Powell Tribune, the remains were found on Bureau of Reclamation land west of Cody by resident Todd Legler. The site was quickly secured by federal law enforcement agents and Bureau of Land Management officials.
Mark Clementz, University of Wyoming paleobiology professor, told the Tribune that this is a very important discovery, as there aren’t very many mammoth finds in Wyoming.
UW archaeology and anthropology professor Marcel Kornfeld said university scientists are concerned about how to save the exposed portion of the skeleton, as photos of the bones show them eroding quickly now that they are exposed to the elements. Additionally, the area will soon be under water as the snow melts and raises the level of the reservoir.
Todd Surovell, professor and department head of archaeology at UW, says there have been just 10 mammoth discovery sites in Wyoming.


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