Ice Age Elephant
Prehistory
During the last major Ice Age — 12,000 to 25,000 years ago — Middle Tennessee was home to many animals that are extinct today, including the saber-tooth tiger, the mammoth, and the mastodon. In 1885, the tusk of a mastodon, an Ice Age ancestor of the elephant, was discovered by locals while digging a well in the Sulphur Springs Bottoms. The mineral-rich mud surrounding the nearby springs helped to preserve the animal's remains.
Distinguished by their long curved tusks and cusp-shaped teeth, mastodons were herbivores that lived in herds and survived by grazing on nuts, leaves, and the branches of small trees. Growing up to eight feet in height and weighing over four tons, these large creatures were probably drawn to the spring salt deposits. Mastodons resembled their distant cousin, the wooly mammoth, because of their thick shaggy hair. They disappeared from the North American landscape over 10,000 years ago. A major factor in their extinction may have been the introduction of Paleo-Americans to the continent. These Indians hunted the mastodon as a source of protein.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Native Americans • Paleontology.
Location. 36° 10.354′ N, 86° 47.029′ W. Marker is
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Buried City (here, next to this marker); Platform Mound (here, next to this marker); Salt Industry (here, next to this marker); Mineral Water (a few steps from this marker); End of an Era (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Baseball Returns (about 400 feet away); The Nashville Vols (about 500 feet away); The Negro Leagues (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 24, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 180 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 24, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
