Mammoth

[Undeadskeptic]

The Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), also called the tundra mammoth, is an extinct species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia.

This mammoth species was first recorded in (possibly 150,000 years old) deposits of the second last glaciation in Eurasia. They were derived from steppe mammoths (Mammuthus trogontherii).

It disappeared from most of its range at the end of the pleistocene, however on Wrangel Island it survived until roughly 1,700 B.C.

Or did it?

There have been occasional claims that the woolly mammoth is not actually extinct, and that small isolated herds might survive in the vast and sparsely inhabited tundra of the northern hemisphere. In the late nineteenth century, there were, according to Bengt Sjögren (1962), persistent rumours about surviving mammoths hiding in Alaska. In October 1899, a story about a man named Henry Tukeman detailed his having killed a mammoth in Alaska and that he subsequently donated the specimen to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. However, the museum denied the existence of any mammoth corpse and the story turned out to be a hoax. Sjögren (1962) believes the myth was started when the American biologist C.H. Townsend traveled in Alaska, saw Eskimos trading mammoth tusks, asked if there still were living mammoths in Alaska and provided them with a drawing of the animal.

In the 19th century, several reports of "large shaggy beasts" were passed on to the Russian authorities by Siberian tribesman, but no scientific proof ever surfaced. A French charge d´affaires working in Vladivostok, M. Gallon, claimed in 1946 that in 1920 he met a Russian fur-trapper that claimed to have seen living giant, furry "elephants" deep into the taiga. Gallon added that the fur-trapper didn't even know about mammoths before, and that he talked about the mammoths as a forest-animal at a time when they were seen as living on the tundra and snow (Sjögren, 1962).

Cossack Ermak Timofeyevich was traveling among tribes on the Eastern side of the Ural mountains and heard stories about large hairy elephants. The natives used these for food referring to them by the name 'mountain of meat.'

During WW2 there was an aerial sighting of a mammoth over Alaska (1944).

I recall having a very old book as a child called Mysteries of the Earth. It was really very old, from around 1950 or probably earlier I would assume, and was full of mysteries. It had ESP, Foo Fighters, Time Travel, Ghosts, Undiscovered lands, and an entire chapter devoted to the possibility of living mammoth. There were many sightings in that book, several from naturalists who had even done sketches of the behemoths.

To this day the thought of a living mammoth has stayed with me, although the book long ago disappeared I have always elt excitment and intrigue when I think of the prospect of the living mammoths.

My friend, Emma Donovan, is studying to become a paleontologist, and strongly believes in the possibility of living mammoth.

Does anyone have any other sightings or information? I would be extremely grateful to hear your opinion on this enduring mystery.

Your friend,

Undeadskeptic

Edited March 14, 2008 by Undeadskeptic

[TIMMAH]

Sounds logical to me. Lets go explore alaska and see for ourselves. You buy the food and ill buy the gas.

[Undeadskeptic]

Excellent, I ask only one thing - how the **** am I going to get the money to make it to America?

One day, but not today...

[Yorgmiester]

It's not impossible.Infact it's much more possible than bigfoot or nessie.

[Undeadskeptic]

Why so?

[Undeadskeptic]

Elemoth you say? That has a nice ring to it, do you mind if I use it?

[~ MacDDT ~]

It's not impossible that's for sure but I doubt there are any around now...I wish there were

[Undeadskeptic]

Well, if they are in one small herd, and assuming they are slightly smaller in size they may live on in deep siberia, or even (though I doubt it) North AmericA.

Two almost new sightings: Cossack Ermak Timofeyevich was traveling among tribes on the Eastern side of the Ural mountains and heard stories about large hairy elephants. The natives used these for food referring to them by the name 'mountain of meat.'

More recently, in 1918, a story was told to the French Consul in Vladivostok, Russia, by an elderly hunter about how he tracked a huge animal for several days. When he caught up with it he found it was "a huge elephant with big white tusks, very curved. It was a dark chestnut color. It had fairly long hair on the hind quarters, but it seemed shorter on the front. I must say I had no idea that there were such big elephants."

Edited March 14, 2008 by Undeadskeptic

[red-star]

i would love to see a living mammoth, always loved them ever since i was a child, i will try to dig up some more sightings

[Guyver]

Good topic! I heard they found one frozen with partially chewed food in it's mouth. The people who found it fed parts of it to their sled dogs who suffered no ill effects!

[667-Neighbor of the Beast]

It's not impossible.Infact it's much more possible than bigfoot or nessie.

Why so?

Well, for one, there is solid evidence and proof that mammoths existed at one time, whereas no solid evidence of either Nessie or Bigfoot.

I think it is possible, but not probable. I mean, possible, because the relatively same environments that they existed in still exist, and in large areas, all around the world. And I mean not probable, because there are simply too many people on this planet anymore for something like that to go unnnoticed. Man would have killed them off by now, to show as trophies. As much as people say that there are regions that are still unexplored in the world, most of it has been, so why is it that creatures such as this only happen to supposedly exist in the small fraction of the world that has not been explored.

Unless, of course, they hide in the water, only poop in the water, are actually gods, and eat all people with cameras, so that there are no photographs.

Sorry, couldn't help it.

[Harte]

More recently, in 1918, a story was told to the French Consul in Vladivostok, Russia, by an elderly hunter about how he tracked a huge animal for several days. When he caught up with it he found it was "a huge elephant with big white tusks, very curved. It was a dark chestnut color. It had fairly long hair on the hind quarters, but it seemed shorter on the front. I must say I had no idea that there were such big elephants."

Mammoths weren't observably larger than modern elephants. Despite what Tolkien says.

Harte

[667-Neighbor of the Beast]

Mammoths weren't observably larger than modern elephants. Despite what Tolkien says.

Harte

Most species of mammoths were the same size as modern elephants, however, there were several species that were quite a bit bigger. There was even a species of dwarf mammoths that were pretty small in comparison. So, for a person to say that a mammoth is bigger than an elephant, they were probably referring to the common species that actually were.

[Juupy froot]

No, all mammoths are extinct, because dragons ate them. obviously.

[Harte]

Most species of mammoths were the same size as modern elephants, however, there were several species that were quite a bit bigger. There was even a species of dwarf mammoths that were pretty small in comparison. So, for a person to say that a mammoth is bigger than an elephant, they were probably referring to the common species that actually were.

The largest elephant on record was an adult male African elephant. It weighed about 24,000 pounds (10,886 kilograms) and was 13 feet (3.96 meters) tall at the shoulder! Most elephants don't get that large, but African elephants grow larger than Asian elephants.

Source

Certainly, the largest known species, the Imperial Mammoth of California, reached heights of at least 5 metres (16 feet) at the shoulder. Mammoths would probably normally weigh in the region of 6 to 8 tonnes, but exceptionally large males may have exceeded 12 tonnes. A 3.3 m. (11 ft.) long mammoth tusk was discovered north of Lincoln, Illinois in 2005.[5] However, most species of mammoth were only about as large as a modern Asian Elephant.

Source

Not so much larger and about the same weight.

Three feet is certainly noticeable, however.

I would think that a witness would be more surprised at the hair than the size, though.

Harte

[evancj]

It's not impossible.Infact it's much more possible than bigfoot or nessie.

IMO it's highly doubtful mammoths are still around. The arctic is mainly traversed via airplane, so I would think that such large animals would have been spotted. However as Yorgmiester says it's more probable that mammoths still exist than BF or nessie, simply because we have proof they existed a relatively short time ago, while on the other hand we have never seen any real evidence for either BF, of nessie.

[Siara]

Well, for one, there is solid evidence and proof that mammoths existed at one time, whereas no solid evidence of either Nessie or Bigfoot.

I think it is possible, but not probable. I mean, possible, because the relatively same environments that they existed in still exist, and in large areas, all around the world. And I mean not probable, because there are simply too many people on this planet anymore for something like that to go unnnoticed. Man would have killed them off by now, to show as trophies. As much as people say that there are regions that are still unexplored in the world, most of it has been, so why is it that creatures such as this only happen to supposedly exist in the small fraction of the world that has not been explored.

I agree with 667. There's a slim chance that they might exist, but not a great chance. I honestly believe that I will see a hybrid half-mammoth in my lifetime, though. There are so many well preserved frozen corpses around (DNA sources) and cloning is getting so advanced. I wonder if they could put the DNA of a mammoth into an elephant's egg cell and get a living fetus?

[red-star]

the largest known mammoth species reached heights of 5 metres at the shoulder, and the biggest modern elephant recorded was about 4.2 metres at the shoulder so some mammoths were actually quite alot larger than elephants

[Yorgmiester]

The reason i said it was more probable for mammoths to exist than bigfoot and nessie is because the areas the mammoths would inhabit are much bigger and less explored(except with satellites) than Loch Ness and the Pacific Northwest.Plus we know Mammoths were(or maybe are) real animals,yet we have no compelling evidence that bigfoot or nessie are real.IMHO rather then trying to find the elusive Big-Foot,we should be looking for the elusive Meat-Mountain.

[667-Neighbor of the Beast]

we should be looking for the elusive Meat-Mountain.

I'm right here!!!!

Sorry, all us guys were thinking it, one of us had to say it!!

[The Skeptic Eric Raven]

No, all mammoths are extinct, because dragons ate them. obviously.

Dang Dragons. Wheres DC when you need him?lol

[667-Neighbor of the Beast]

Dang Dragons. Wheres DC when you need him?lol

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Foongus]

I highly doubt that a mammoth could exist in modern times without someone knowing about it. They are too big and the only reason people said that they "existed" in Alaska, is because Alaska was very unpoulated back then.

[PersonFromPorlock]

Er, exactly why would a Siberian woodsman in 1918 have any realistic idea at all of how big elephants are?

[Undeadskeptic]

Thanks for all the replies.

I have two requests in my search for living mammoth - The Arthur C Clarkes mysterious world had a chapter on living mammothas did On the Track of Unknown animals by Bernard Heuvlmans. I fanyone could reproduce excerpts it would be very helpful. Again, sightings info is very welcome.