|
|
|
|
About the mastodon: "The
American mastodon (scientific name
Mammut americanum)
roamed North America, including Ohio, from at least 3.75 million to 10,000 years
ago. As adults they stood between 2.5 and 3 meters (8-10 feet) at the shoulder
and weighed between 3500 and 5400 kilograms (4-6 tons). Their teeth had blunt
cones. Mastodons probably used these teeth to eat herbs, shrubs, and trees.
"Mastodons became extinct approximately 10,000 years ago. Today, paleontologists are trying to figure out why." (Text courtesy of the Illinois State Museum.) For more about mastodons, visit the Discovery Channel for a special web interactive feature. Explore this science
residency by checking out the links at the left.
|
Our
third graders had the rare opportunity to become part of an excavation of the
remains of a mastodon found in a nearby community.
