The results of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s “Name the Mammoth” contest are in, and voters have selected “Snowy” as the name of the first mammoth discovered at a spectacular Ice Age fossil site near Snowmass Village last fall. More than 15,000 people cast ballots online and at the Museum during the last month to decide the name.
The Columbian mammoth, a young female, was discovered on October 14, 2010, as crews were working to expand Ziegler Reservoir outside Snowmass Village. A month of excavation followed, and Museum crews discovered an entire Ice Age ecosystem including as many as 10 American mastodons, three other Columbian mammoths, two Ice Age deer, four Ice Age bison, a Jefferson’s ground sloth, a tiger salamander, insects, snails, and large quantities of plant matter. Scientists consider the find to be one of the most significant in Colorado history. The Museum has named the excavation and related activities The Snowmastodon Project™. The Museum decided to hold a contest to name the original mammoth discovery because of the overwhelming public interest in the discovery.
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