Article and Images by Nella Nelson –
An old, arthritic elephant-like animal lies down after his last grassy meal on Santa Rosa Island. He falls asleep in death, satisfied, as the winds blow sand over his body, burying it for the next 30,000 years. Hence, the world’s first virtually complete pygmy mammoth skeleton was discovered in our own backyard of the Channel Islands National Park in 1994. And it can be seen in person at Ventura’s own Channel Islands Visitors Center at 1901 Spinnaker Dr. I enjoyed seeing it myself and watching tourists from all overviewing it with awe.
Unearthed on Santa Rosa Island and found nowhere else on earth, the pygmy mammoth (mammuthus exilis) was most likely a small form of the Columbian mammoth found on the mainland. Compared to the 14 ft. tall, 20,000 lb. Columbian mammoth, the pygmy weighed about 2,000 lbs. and stood seven feet high, or 17% the size of its ancestors.
The first “elephants” discovered on Santa Rosa Island were reported in 1873. But how did they reach the island?
Elephants, as living relatives of mammoths, are known to be buoyant distance swimmers. Approximately 20,000 years ago, the sea level was 300 ft. lower than it is today. The four northern islands were joined together as a “super island” known as Santa rosae. Leaving the heavily grazed mainland behind, the Columbian mammoths swam toward the scents of Santarosae’s abundant vegetation. The crossing was a mere six miles at its closest distance. Asian elephants of today have been documented to swim up to 23 miles to islands they cannot even see, guided by the odor of ripening fruit and vegetation.
Once on the island, the mammoth population increased and food supplies became scarce. As glaciers and ice sheets melted, sea levels rose. Smaller mammoths could survive with less food – an advantage to survival. The absence of predators on the islands may have contributed to this downsizing. Remains of mammoths are most common on Santa Rosa Island with smaller numbers recovered from Santa Cruz and San Nicholas, totaling 160.
The cause of extinction of the mammoth (Pleistocene megafauna) is still unknown after 30 years of research and testing, yet they are part of a wider disappearance of the planet’s larger animals of nearly 10,000 years ago.
From the south of France to Siberia, to South Dakota, the extinct mammoth continues to fascinate us to this day. Enjoy the National Park Service’s videos on nps.gov/chis/learn/historyculture/pygmymammoth.htm where you’ll find some informative and adorable clips about the pygmy mammoth’s journey.
Visit the Channel Islands Visitor Center in the Ventura Harbor to learn more about the history of the Pygmy Mammoths. Free Admission, Open 7 Days a Week.
Sources:
Chester Stock and E. L. Furlong (1928). “The Pleistocene elephants of Santa Rosa Island, California”
NPS.gov
The Pygmy Mammoth, significantly smaller than its towering ancestor, highlights the dramatic size difference.
