Fauna (animals) and flora (plants) recovered from the excavation of the Site, now identified and studied, enable the researcher to reconstruct the paleoenviroment during the time of entrapment, 26,000 years ago. Each of the fossil remains---the vertebrates, invertebrates, and the plant pollen---tell their share of the story of the Great Plains of South Dakota during the last Ice Age. Comparing distribution of Pleistocene prairie inhabitants to present day species allows scientists to interpret the past. Small animals, such as the prairie dog, seldom traveled far and were true indicators of local habitat thousands of years ago. Photos, range maps and track illustrations from "Familiar Mammals of North America" published by the National Audubon Society (Book available at the Mammoth Site Book Store)
The Mammoth Site's Ice Age fossil fauna include:
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Osteichthyes (bony fish) Order Cypriniformes Genus et species indetermine |
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Amphibia (frog/toad) Order Anura Bufo cognatus (Great Plains toad) Bufo woodhousei (woodhose toad) |
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| (Photo not availble) |
Aves (bird) Order indeterminate |
| (Photo not available) |
Order Insectivora (insectivores) Family Talpidea (moles) Scalopus aquaticus (eastern mole) |
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Order Lagomorpha (pikas, rabbits, hares) Family Leporidae (hares and rabbits) Sylvilagus sp. (cottontail rabbit) |
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Order Lagomorpha (pikas, rabbits, hares) Family Leporidae (hares and rabbits) Lepus cf. townsendii (white-tailed jackrabbit) |
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Order Rodentia (rodents) Family Sciuridae (squirrels) Spermophilus cf. elegans/richardsonii (Wyoming/Richardson's ground squirrel) |
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Order Rodentia (rodents) Family Sciuridae (squirrels) Spermophilus cf. tridecemlineatus (13 lined ground squirrel) |
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Order Rodentia (rodents) Family Sciuridae (squirrels) Cynomys (Leucocrossuromys) sp. (white-tailed prairie dog) |
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Family Geomyidae (gopher) Thomomys talpoides (northern pocket gopher) |
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Family Cricetidae (hamsters and voles) Phenacomys cf. intermedius (heather vole) |
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Family Cricetidae (hamsters and voles) Peromyscus cf. mamiculatus (deer mouse) |
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Family Cricetidae (hamsters and voles) Neotoma cf. cinerea (bushy-tailed woodrat) |
| (Photo not availble) |
Family Cricetidae (hamsters and voles) Microtus sp. (vole) |
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Order Carnivora (carnivores) Family Mustelidae (weasels) Mustela cf. vison or nigripes (mink or black-footed ferret) |
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Order Carnivora (carnivores) Taxidea taxus (badger) |
(Photo not availble) |
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Order Carnivora (carnivores) Family Canidae (dogs) Canis lupus (gray wolf) |
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Order Carnivora (carnivores) Family Canidae (dogs) Canis latrans (coyote) |
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Family Ursidae (bears) Arctodus simus (giant short-faced bear) |
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| (Photo not available) |
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Order Artiodactyla Family Camelidae (camels) Hemiauchenia sp. (llama) |
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Family Antilocapridae (pronghorns) Antilocapra americana (pronghorn) |
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