Editing Pygmy mammoth (section)

==Discovery==
[[File:Pygmy mammoth.JPG|thumb|left|Excavation in 1994, Santa Rosa]]
Mammoth remains have been known on the northern [[Channel Islands (California)|Channel Islands]] of [[California]] since 1856. They were first reported in scientific literature in 1873.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Agenbroad|first1=L.D.|title=New absolute dates and comparisons for California's Mammuthus exilis|journal=Deinsea |volume=9 |pages=1–16  |date=2003}}</ref>

In 1994 the [[National Park Service]] called in scientists to inspect an uncovered, unidentified skeleton found on the northeast coast of [[Santa Rosa Island, California|Santa Rosa Island]].<ref name=Johnson>{{cite journal | last = Agenbroad | first = L.D. |author2=Johnson J. |author3=Morris D. |author4=Stafford T.W. | title = Mammoths and Humans as Late Pleistocene Contemporaries on Santa Rosa Island | journal =Proceedings of the American Geophysical Union  | volume = Spring Meeting 2007 | url = http://www.iws.org/CISProceedings/6th_CIS_Proceedings/Agenbroad.pdf }}</ref> They found bones of the [[axial skeleton]] of a large land vertebrate and decided to excavate and dig up the skeleton. They recovered 90% of a mature male pygmy mammoth's skeleton.<ref name = Agenbroad/> The mammoth was about 50 years old when it died.<ref name=Johnson/> The small bones were preserved in life position, which represented that it had died where it was found rather than being scattered around the island. The bones were returned to the [[Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History]].<ref name=Agenbroad>{{cite journal | last = Agenbroad | first = Larry D. | author2 = Don P. Morris | title = Giant Island/Pygmy Mammoths:The Late Pleistocene Prehistory of Channel Islands National Park | journal = National Park Service Paleontological Research | volume = 4 | pages = 35–39 | url = http://doc.rero.ch/record/31563/files/PAL_E647.pdf#page=35 | format = PDF | access-date = 2013-10-23 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140219071055/http://doc.rero.ch/record/31563/files/PAL_E647.pdf#page=35 | archive-date = 2014-02-19 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
After the discovery of the skeleton, a pedestrian survey of the island began. This resulted in the discovery of 160 new locations of mammoth remains, the vast majority being found on Santa Rosa Island.<ref name=Johnson/> This was the first discovery of a nearly complete specimen of the pygmy mammoth. Fortunately, the skeleton was only missing a foot, a [[tusk]], and a couple of vertebrae. The remains were covered by a sand dune, which prevented the bones from scattering and kept them intact.<ref name= anonymous>{{cite journal | last=anonymous | first= anonymous | journal= Discover | volume= 16 | pages= 1 | title= Stranded on Santa Monica| id= {{ProQuest|206020333}} }}</ref>