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State Fossils
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Nebraska Symbols
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Nebraska State Fossil
Mammoth
(Elephas primigenius)
Adopted on March 1, 1967.
The mammoth, Elephas primigenius, officially became Nebraska's state fossil with a bill passed by
the Legislature on Nebraska's 100th birthday, March 1, 1967.
The mammoth was a common inhabitant of northern Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene Age. Various species of
the mammoth crossed the Bering Strait land bridge and spread throughout most of North America. Mammoths were elephants,
but some were larger than the modern elephant. Early prehistoric people hunted the mammoth and found the animal's
ivory tusks useful in making tools and realistic etchings. Mammoth remains have been found in most Nebraska counties.
One mammoth found in Lincoln County, Archidiskodon imperator maibeni, was one of the world's largest elephant fossils.
It is displayed in the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln.
Although the mammoth was an elephant, it was much larger than the modern elephant. The three main species that
have been found in Nebraska are the Elephas primigenius, the Elephas columbi or Columbian elephant,
and the Elephas imperator or Imperial elephant. Elephas primigenius had a coat of long, shaggy hair
to protect it from the extreme cold of the north, and its remains are seldom found south of Nebraska. The largest,
the Imperial elephant (sometimes reaching heights of 13 to 14 feet), and the Columbian elephant roamed west of the
Mississippi from Nebraska to northern Mexico. Both are thought to have adapted to life on the open plains and probably
had coats of hair lighter and shorter than Elephas primigenius. Tusks of the Columbian elephant curved downward
first, the upward and inward. The tusks' tips crossed when the elephant was full-grown.
Early prehistoric man hunted the mammoth with primitive weapons like spears and javelins. He found the animal's
ivory tusks more useful than bone for many purposes and used it in making tools and realistic etchings. Fossilized
ivory has been found in Nebraska, but it is of little commercial value as groundwater and soil acids have altered
it composition.
Mammoth remains have been found in most Nebraska counties. One mammoth found in Lincoln County is reportedly
the world's largest elephant. Displayed in the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln, this mammoth,
Archidiskodon imperator maibeni, was believed to have roamed the plains in the late Pleistocene period.
Source: Nebraska Bluebook, 1994-95, pg. 28.
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State Fossils
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Most US states have made a state fossil designation, in many
cases during the 1980s. It is common to designate one species in which fossilization has
occurred, rather than a single specimen, or a category of fossils not limited to a single
species.
Some states that lack a "state fossil" have nevertheless singled out a fossil for formal
designation such as a state dinosaur, rock, gem or stone.
fossil (fŏs'əl)
n.
1. A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or
leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth's crust.
2. One, such as a rigid theory, that is outdated or antiquated.
adj.
1. Characteristic of or having the nature of a fossil.
2. Being or similar to a fossil.
3. Belonging to the past; antiquated.
[From Latin fossilis, dug up, from fossus, past participle of fodere, to dig.]
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