Waco Mammoth National Monument

Waco Mammoth National Monument is a paleontological site protecting the only nursery herd of Columbian mammoths in the U.S. Visitors enjoy tours and fossils.

The national park features fossils of female mammoths, a bull mammoth, and an ancient relative of camels, an antelope, alligator, giant tortoise, and more. Visitors can enjoy tours where they visit the Dig Shelter, which houses fossils in situ, meaning still in their original position within the bone bed.

These fossilized Ice Age creatures were discovered in 1978 by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin. They were in search of arrowheads and fossils when they noticed a large bone protruding from a ravine. The bone was brought to Baylor University's Strecker Museum where it was identified as the femur of a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus Columbi) ' the larger distant relative of the wooly mammoth. Since then, excavation of the site has lead to important scientific research and additional discoveries.