Woolly Mammoth Tooth Slice from Alaska – Ancient Ice Age Fossil

This fascinating Alaskan Woolly Mammoth tooth slice offers a remarkable glimpse inside the feeding apparatus of an Ice Age giant. The cut surface displays beautifully contrasting bands of cream, golden brown and darker mineralized material, revealing the complex structure of the mammoth's grinding tooth. Carefully stabilized with resin, the specimen combines scientific interest with the natural beauty and individuality that make fossil material so appealing to collectors.

Specimen Details

✓ Fossil: Woolly Mammoth tooth, Mammuthus primigenius
✓ Specimen: S986
✓ Locality: Alaska, USA
✓ Geological Age: Pleistocene / Ice Age
✓ Preparation: Cut, polished and stabilized with resin
✓ Prepared by: Miles Martin, Miles of Alaska
✓ Size: 62mm x 44mm x 8mm
✓ Weight:  29 gram

The Woolly Mammoth

The Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) roamed the northern regions of the world during the Pleistocene. It was particularly well adapted to the cold, dry environments of the Ice Age, with long shaggy hair, insulating body fat and a body adapted for surviving harsh northern winters.

Alaska was part of Beringia, a vast Ice Age landscape that once connected North America and Asia. This environment supported enormous herds of mammoths alongside other now-extinct Ice Age animals. The preservation of mammoth remains in Alaska provides an extraordinary connection to this ancient world.

The mammoth's teeth were essential to its survival. As a grazing animal, it consumed large quantities of vegetation, and its molars were continually replaced throughout its life. Their numerous enamel ridges formed highly effective grinding surfaces capable of breaking down tough grasses and other vegetation.

Although Woolly Mammoths survived through much of the Ice Age, mainland populations disappeared around the end of the Pleistocene. Changing climate and habitat, combined with increasing human pressure, are among the principal factors investigated in explaining their decline. Isolated island populations survived thousands of years after mainland mammoths had disappeared, with the final known Woolly Mammoths living on Wrangel Island until approximately 4,000 years ago.

Prepared by Mr Miles Martin (Miles of Alaska)

Mr Miles Martin has spent decades exploring Alaska for fossils and other natural materials. According to his own account, he has been an Ice Age fossil hunter since 1972 and has recovered mammoth tusks and substantial quantities of Alaskan fossil material. His work also includes preparing and stabilizing fossil specimens, allowing fragile ancient materials to be preserved and appreciated in a more accessible form.