Last updated: June 8, 2026
Place
Mammoth Mania
Line art by Dava Butler
The earliest mammoths lived in Africa about 5 million years ago. Mammoth fossils have been found across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mammoths are more closely related to Asian elephants than African elephants.
Woolly mammoths are the best known thanks to exceptionally well-preserved frozen mummies found in the permafrost of Alaska and Siberia. However, they are not the only mammoths that roamed during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 12,000 years ago).
The most important mammoths for our story at Waco Mammoth National Monument are the Eurasian and North American woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) and the Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi).
Columbian mammoths are the most common fossils here at Waco Mammoth National Monument. Learn more about these megafauna (giant animals) at the next stop.
Woolly mammoths are the best known thanks to exceptionally well-preserved frozen mummies found in the permafrost of Alaska and Siberia. However, they are not the only mammoths that roamed during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 12,000 years ago).
The most important mammoths for our story at Waco Mammoth National Monument are the Eurasian and North American woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) and the Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi).
Columbian mammoths are the most common fossils here at Waco Mammoth National Monument. Learn more about these megafauna (giant animals) at the next stop.