If it’s been ages since you’ve had the mammoth pleasure of experiencing the Natural History Society of Maryland (NHSM), you’re in for a treat!
For the first time in Maryland, a near-complete woolly mammoth skeleton will be on public display at the NHSM! The fossilized mammoth exhibit debuts as the NHSM celebrates the opening of its developing Ice Age exhibit. This is the world debut of the woolly mammoth skeleton, on loan to the organization by Dr. Charles Breeze.
The last mammoth walked the earth more than 10,000 years ago. It was thought to be roughly the same size as today’s African elephant, weighing between 4 and 8 metric tons.
Breeze collected these fossils in Alaska over several years, and his collection contains most bones in a complete mammoth skeleton. According to the NHSM website, the mammoth was excavated in collaboration with local Native Alaskan communities “using an ecologically friendly approach (fossils taken to surface via natural erosion).”
The Ice Age exhibit is designed to teach visitors what the Ice Age was like in Maryland. During the last Ice Age, which was 2.5 million to 11,700 years ago, what is considered modern-day Maryland had no Chesapeake Bay. “Mammoths, sabertoothed cats, bison and great beavers roamed a land dominated by coniferous woods and marshy tundra,” reads the NHSM website.
“I began my collection with one well-preserved tooth, and from there I was in love with the project,” explained Breeze. “Committed Trustees and curators, a deeply committed member base, and the organization’s current trajectory of growth make NHSM a perfect place for this exhibit to reach a large number of visitors in an intimate setting.”
The exhibit will open to the general public starting Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with opportunities for donors, partners, trustees, elected officials, and teachers to view the exhibit before that date.
Other events planned include a “Paint a Mammoth” event, “Ice Age Trivia,” and a meeting of the “Mammoth Book Club.” For more information, check out their website!
The Natural History Society of Maryland is located at 6908 Belair Road, Baltimore, MD.
