Southern Maryland Mammoth Found

Southern Maryland Chronicles, Woolly Mammoth Molar Found, Donated to Calvert Museum

Debbie Palmer, a local fossil enthusiast, has added a significant piece to the Calvert Marine Museum’s collection with her recent donation of a woolly mammoth molar from the Ice Age. Discovered in coarse gravel along what was once the prehistoric Potomac River, the find offers a glimpse into a time when these massive creatures roamed the region thousands of years ago.

Palmer unearthed the molar while exploring a site rich with ancient sediment, a remnant of the Potomac’s Ice Age riverbed. Woolly mammoths, extinct relatives of modern elephants, thrived during the Pleistocene epoch, roughly 700,000 to 11,000 years ago, according to the National Park Service. The molar, characterized by its large, ridged surface suited for grinding tough vegetation, connects Southern Maryland’s modern landscape to its prehistoric past.

 

The Calvert Marine Museum, located in Solomons, confirmed the donation on March 30, 2025, highlighting Palmer’s knack for uncovering remarkable fossils. Known for its extensive paleontology exhibits, the museum houses fossils from marine and terrestrial species that once inhabited the Chesapeake Bay region. This molar joins other notable finds, reinforcing the area’s significance as a fossil hotspot due to its geological history tied to the Calvert Cliffs and ancient waterways.

Palmer’s discovery underscores the presence of woolly mammoths in what is now Charles and Calvert counties during the Ice Age. These creatures, standing up to 11 feet tall and weighing as much as 6 tons, adapted to cold climates with thick fur and long tusks, as detailed by the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Their fossils are rare in Maryland, making Palmer’s find a valuable addition to local scientific study.

So, that's better than I did today. We wouldn't expect Mammoth in our cliffs. Mammoths were not present in the Miocene, when our fossiliferous sediments were laid down. I do have a fragment of a Gomphothere tooth, an elephant relative from the Miocene. It's not much to look at, though. At the top of our cliffs we do have Pleistocene (ice age) marine sediments, and I suppose it's just possible a Mammoth part or two might be lurking in them.  I can hope, anyway. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.