Digging Into Michigan's Past

2006-05-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Question #9 from Mr. Lancaster's Class

How much did the ulna bone weigh?

2006-05-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Question # 8 from Mr. Lancaster's Class

Was there any evidence of human interaction with the mastodont? Could part of it have been moved?

2006-05-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Question #7 from Mr. Lancaster's Class

How many bones were recovered? How many bones did a mastodont have?

2006-05-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Question #6 from Mr. Lancaster's class:

Approximately how long would you expect this mastodont's tusks to be?

2006-05-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

Question #5 from Mr. Lancaster's Class:

Last time you told us the immature mastodont was approximately 9 feet tall at the shoulder, how tall would a full grown mastodont be?

2006-04-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

G from Mrs. Hansen's class snapped this picture of a couple of Paleo Indians decked out in caribou hides at the Michigan State Capitol Museum in Lansing.

These are the native people who would have had the most interaction with mastodons.

2006-04-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

When did Mrs. Scrivens discover the mastodon bone?

Question from Mrs. Hansen's Class

2006-04-19T06:44:00.001-07:00

How tall do you estimate this mastodon was at the time of its death?

Question from Mrs. Hansen's Class

2006-04-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

How much do you estimate this mastodon weighed at the time of its death?

Question from Mrs. Hansen's Class

2006-04-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

How old do you estimate this mastodon was at the time of its death?

Question from Mrs. Hansen's Class

2006-04-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Our Project: Through classroom studies and research with Mr. Losik in their Infotech classes, students in Mrs. Miles' and Mr. Lancaster's classes at Bentheim Elementary and students in Mrs. Hansen's and Mrs. Westra's classes at Blue Star Elementary have been learning all about prehistoric Michigan.

It is time to turn to the experts, the people who have dedicated their work to uncovering our world's natural history. Dr. Anthony Swinehart, an associate professor of Biology at Hillsdale College, specializes in the study of prehistoric environments. He is director of the GH Gordon Biological Station.

Dr. Swinehart is also the principle coordinator and project manager of the Scrivens Mastodont dig. He has been gracious enough to lend his knowledge as the fourth graders ask questions about the dig and pre-historic Michigan.