There once was a Mastodon named Frank. He died looking for love.
He was born in the Midwestern United States, more than 13,000 years ago. One day, though, he was kicked out. Scientists think that like elephants, when Mastodon’s are fully grown and can live on their own, they just take up space in the herd. Then, they get kicked out.
For the rest of his life, Fred lived on in what is now Indiana, fighting to find a mate. Every single summer, he would fight another male to get a mate. He died at 34 years old, when he was hit in the skull. He fell into a swamp.
Josh Miller, a paleontologist, says that the swamp helped preserve Fred’s skeleton. It now is in the Indiana State Museum. This skeleton helped a lot with studying of Mastodons.
The mastodon’s trunk, like a tree trunk, has different layers. The layers that grow on the trunk each tell a different, story. Strontium isotopes really help with this. The places Fred went to, the Strontium isotopes sucked up the plants and water around him.
This mastodon sure helped us build our understanding of mastodons! Remember, you can always go see his skeleton at the Indiana State Museum!
He was born in the Midwestern United States, more than 13,000 years ago. One day, though, he was kicked out. Scientists think that like elephants, when Mastodon’s are fully grown and can live on their own, they just take up space in the herd. Then, they get kicked out.
For the rest of his life, Fred lived on in what is now Indiana, fighting to find a mate. Every single summer, he would fight another male to get a mate. He died at 34 years old, when he was hit in the skull. He fell into a swamp.
Josh Miller, a paleontologist, says that the swamp helped preserve Fred’s skeleton. It now is in the Indiana State Museum. This skeleton helped a lot with studying of Mastodons.
The mastodon’s trunk, like a tree trunk, has different layers. The layers that grow on the trunk each tell a different, story. Strontium isotopes really help with this. The places Fred went to, the Strontium isotopes sucked up the plants and water around him.
This mastodon sure helped us build our understanding of mastodons! Remember, you can always go see his skeleton at the Indiana State Museum!
