Colby Mammoth Kill Site

Colby Mammoth Kill Site. . Extinct species of mammoths, horses, camels, and bison roamed this area 11,000 years ago and were being killed by humans known as the Clovis hunters. South of this spot 400 meters is the location of one of the largest known Clovis mammoth kills in North America. A deep arroyo with steep walls was present when the mammoths were killed. Clovis hunters would stalk a family of mammoths and spear a young animal that was careless enough to wander away from the protection of the family. As the animal became weak from the effects of the wound, it became further removed from the herd and the hunters maneuvered it into the deep arroyo where it could not escape. The hunters needed only to wait for the wound to weaken the animal enough that it could easily be killed. This kind of event was repeated many times over the years. , One pile of bones consisted of the left front quarter of a mature female mammoth with bones of other mammoths stacked around it and the skull of a young male mammoth placed on top. This is believed to have been a frozen meat cache that was never utilized and spoiled with the approach of warm weather. Another pile of mammoth bones was probably a similar cache that was utilized. A front quarter of a young mammoth would represent over 500 kilograms of meat. These caches suggest that at least some of the animals were killed during the cold weather months. , This site was excavated by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming under the direction of Dr. George Frison during 1973, 1975, and 1978. Materials from the site can be seen at the Washakie County Museum and Cultural Center and at the University of Wyoming Anthropological Museum. At left is an artist's depiction of the mammoth kill and at right is a photo of the meat cache.