Curator of Paleontology Eric Scott will present a Mothers’ Day lecture on Sunday, May 10, at the San Bernardino County Museum. His 2pm talk, “Mastodons, Mammoths, and Moms,” is free with museum admission.

Fossil remains of extinct elephants—giant mammoths and smaller, more primitive mastodons—are common from Pleistocene (“Ice Age”) sites throughout inland southern California as well as most of North America. San Bernardino County Museum paleontologists have been very successful in finding and preserving large numbers of fossils of these extinct animals, including mammoths from Victorville and giant mastodons from Hemet. The abundance of these remains in our region reflects a similar abundance elsewhere on the continent. In fact, some of the earliest records of fossil animals from North America are fossils of mastodons and mammoths, and many icons of American history, including Cotton Mather, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin, actively collected remains of these animals.

“Here at the San Bernardino County Museum, our collections are full of fossil remains of mammoths and mastodons—from inland, from the deserts, all over the place,” said Scott. “These fossils give us more than a connection with the Ice Ages; they also provide a link with our uniquely American heritage. In effect, mastodons and mammoths gave birth to vertebrate paleontology in America.”

Scott’s presentation will review the history of early discoveries of mastodons and mammoths in North America and discuss recent finds in our region.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and holiday Mondays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 (adult), $5 (student or senior), and $4 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org.

The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.

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