Woolly mammoth
The woolly mammoth, icon of the ice Age, is related to the African and Asian elephants, which are still around. The first mammoths actually originated in South Africa. Sea level variation and geographical changes must have made it possible for these ancient mammoths to extend their range from Africa to the European continent, some three […]
Skeleton of a baby woolly mammoth
The red bones in the images are original. Remains of juvenile mammoths are extremely rare. Often, skeletal parts have been gnawed on by cave hyenas and wolves. Another issue is that the bones of young mammoths are not yet firmly connected, causing them to fall apart after death (e.g., the spine). In Europe, no complete […]
First floor
Via this staircase or, if needed, the elevator (for visitors with reduced mobility or those with strollers), you can reach a floor full of wonderful discoveries. Here, you will find three unique exhibitions and a collection of remarkable objects that bring the past to life. On this floor, you’ll encounter a variety of fascinating exhibits: […]
The auroch skull
Besides woolly rhinoceroses and woolly mammoths, wild horses and wild bovines were also very abundant on the mammoth steppe. The auroch also lived in the North Sea region. It was much rarer than the bison, but about the same size. The aurochs is the ancestor of the familiar modern cattle. It could easily be as […]
Giant deer
Deer today are mammals adapted to forest life. Their teeth reveal that they eat branches, twigs and leaves, as well as grass. They are called mixed-feeders. One of the icons of the glacial era is the giant deer. This extinct deer species gets its name from the gigantic antlers that male animals grew and discarded […]
Southern mammoth versus woolly mammoth
The molars and various bones can be used to distinguish the several mammoth species from each other. A low jaw with molars with only a few lamellae and thick tooth enamel can be attributed to the southern mammoth from the beginning of the glacial period. This mammoth species lived in a savannah-like area: grasslands interspersed […]
Complete skeleton of a female woolly mammoth
The skeleton consists of about 185 different bones and body parts. all the bones are the same colour and were found in the same location. all the bones are original and only 10% have been restored. even the splendid tusks are original. dick mol, a prominent expert on mammoths had supervision over the assembling of […]
Molar exchange of the woolly mammoth
Mammoths shed their molars five times during their lifetime, and so they get a total of 6 molars in each half jaw, and a total of 24 molars altogether. The first one is the smallest in size, and the last one in the series is the argest. Mammoths shed their molars horizontally, i.e. from the […]
Skeleton of a woolly mammoth
This skeleton has been constructed from 184 different parts, all original but probably all from different mammoths. They were, however, all male, the same size and roughly the same age. The tusks are plastic replicas. All the bones were found in the sea off the coast of South Holland.
Mammoth skin and fur
Fossils are the remains of plants and animals that have been preserved in sedimentary rocks. In mammals this is usually the bones and teeth. Soft internal organs, muscle and skin decay rapidly and are rarely preserved, except in special circumstances such as in the permafrost. These fossils can tell us much about what the animal […]